.W  JMoGte#/ 


iMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION. 

UNITED  STATES  NATIONAL  MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION 

IN  1889. 


BY 


.■  V"  / 

THOMAS  WILSON, 

Curator ,  Department  of  Prehistoric  Anthropology. 


From  the  Report  of  the  National  Museum  for  1890,  pages  641-680 
(with  Plates  CLVII  CLXIII). 


WASHINGTON: 


GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE, 


SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION. 

UNITED  STATES  NATIONAL  MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION 

IN  1889. 


BY 


THOMAS  WILSON, 

Curator ,  Department  of  Prehistoric  Anthropology. 


From  the  Report  of  the  National  Museum  for  1890,  pages  641-680 
(with  Plates  CLVII- CLXI1I). 


WASHINGTON: 


GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1892 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


https://archive.org/details/anthropologyatpaOOwils 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889, 


By  Thomas  Wilson. 


At  the  Exposition  of  18G7  in  Paris  there  was  little  or  no  attempt  to 
represent  the  science  of  anthropology.  At  the  Exposition  of  1878, 
however,  an  effort  was  made.  M.  Gabriel  de  Mortillet  was  director  and 
the  preparation  of  the  display  was  given  into  his  charge.  A  modest 
building  was  erected  in  the  garden  of  the  Trocadero  Palace  which  was 
called  the  building  of  anthropology.  The  minister  of  commerce  and 
agriculture  took  up  the  matter  and  lent  his  aid  and  confidence,  and  a 
creditable  display  was  made.  It  was  small,  but  quite  complete  and 
made  a  fair  presentation  of  prehistoric  anthropology.  The  societies 
and  amateur  collectors  throughout  France  responded  nobly  to  his  ap¬ 
peal.  1  remember  the  elegant  display  made  by  Mr.  Sender,  of  the  city 
of  Nantes,  who  transferred  his  entire  Scandinavian  collection  to  Paris 
for  use  in  this  exposition. 

But  it  was  reserved  for  the  Exposition  Universelle  of  1889  to  make 
the  grand  display  in  regard  to  anthropology  and  its  kindred  sciences. 
Three  exhibits  were  made.  They  were  not  the  same,  and  one  tended 
largely  to  supplement  the  other,  making  them,  when  taken  in  connec¬ 
tion,  a  most  elaborate,  wonderful,  and  complete  display. 

The  most  extensive  of  the  three  was  that  under  the  direction  of  the 
minister  of  agriculture  and  commerce,  and  which  formed  section  1  of 
the  l’Bistoire  Retrospectif  du  Travail.  This  had  Drs.  Topinard,  Hamy, 
and  M.  Cartailhac  for  its  directors  and  managers.  The  adjoining  dis¬ 
play  was  under  the  supervision  of  the  minister  of  public  instruction, 
and  it  had  for  its  director  the  Societe  d’Authropologie  of  Paris.  The 
third  was  section  5  of  the  exposition  Retrospective  du  Travail,  consisting 
solely  of  prehistoric  weapons,  and  was  associated  with  the  exhibit  of 
arms  in  the  building  of  the  department  of  war  on  the  Champ  de  Mars. 

The  French  people  or  Government  in  all  former  expositions  had  made 
a  principal  feature  of  the  display  called  The  History  of  Retrospective 
Labor  (PHistoire  Retrospectif  du  Travail).  The  Exposition  of  1889  was 
not  to  be  an  exception.  The  grand  commission  superior  of  organiza¬ 
tion  had  Jules  Simon,  senateur,  a  member  of  the  academy,  for  its  presi¬ 
dent,  and  twenty-five  members  which  divided  the  display  into  five  sec¬ 
tions..  (1)  Anthropology  and  Ethnography  ;  (2)  Liberal  Arts;  (3)  Art 

641 

II.  Mis.  129,  pt.  2 - 


41 


642 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


and  Trade  ;  (4)  Transportation,  and,  (5)  Military  Art.  It  was  assigned 
the  principal  nave  of  the  great  building  devoted  to  liberal  art,  or  to  that 
half  of  it  north  of  the  rotunda  and  towards  the  Seine. 

Section  I. — Anthropological  Display. 

It  is  only  with  the  first  section  that  I  have  to  deal  at  present — 
the  anthropologic  sciences  and  ethnography.  This  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  a  committee  and  again  divided  into  three  portions.  Dr.  Top- 
in  ard  had  the  principal  direction  of  that  portion  relating  to  general  an¬ 
thropology  with  Dr.  Magitot  in  charge  of  a  subsection  of  criminal  an¬ 
thropology.  M.  Oartailhac  to  archaeology  and  prehistoric  anthropol¬ 
ogy.  M.  Hamy  to  ethnography.  This  division  was  one  of  theory  and 
science  more  than  of  practice,  for  the  objects  themselves  were  not  thus 
divided,  and  these  gentlemen  acted  more  as  a  committee  than  sepa¬ 
rately. 

The  following  was  the  classification  for  the  division  of  anthropology, 
archaeology,  and  ethnography. 

I. — Anthropology,  Under  Direction  of  I)r.  Totinard. 

Pieces  and  specimens  of  comparative  anatomy  and  embryogeny  rela¬ 
tive  to  man;  casts  of  the  brain;  skulls  and  skeletons,  and  in  their  default 
casts;  prehistoric  skulls,  trepanned  skulls,  and  prehistoric  pathologic 
specimens;  casts  of  busts  and  typic  masks  of  the  living;  instruments 
for  physical  and  physiological  observations;  instruments  of  crani¬ 
ometry  and  anthropometry  ;  charts  showing  the  division  and  character 
of  races;  photographs  of  skulls  and  of  ethnic  types ;  composite  pho¬ 
tography. 

II.  — Prehistoric  Archaeology,  Under  Direction  of  M.  Emile  Cartailhac  of 

Toulouse. 

Material  for  work  and  specimens  representing  the  different  phases  of 
the  fabrication  of  primitive  instruments;  chipping,  polishing,  perfora¬ 
tion,  etc.,  of  objects  of  stone ;  work  on  bone  and  on  the  horn  of  rumi¬ 
nants;  pieces  which  bear  relation  to  the  practice  of  art,  of  design,  of 
drawing,  etc.;  primitive  pottery;  views  and  plans  or  models  of  hab¬ 
itations,  funeral  monuments,  antiques,  etc.;  casting  or  hammering  of 
metal,  bronze,  copper,  iron  ;  specimens  of  molds  and  objects  of  metal, 
cast  or  hammered;  caches  of  the  foudeur;  origin  of  glass,  enamel, 
etc.;  terms  of  comparison  borrowed  from  savage  populations — fire 
making,  fabrication  of  objects  of  stone,  of  wood,  of  bone,  of  pottery; 
com  parati ve  metall  u  rgy . 

III. — Ethnography  and  Classic  Archaeology,  Under  Direction  of  Dr.  Hamy. 

Dr.  Hamy  was  assisted  by  several  oriental  travelers  and  scholars, 
MM.  Maspero,  Villefosse,  Perrot,  Solomon  Reinach,  and  others.  Its 
divisions  were  as  follows  :  RBC 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889  ,  6  43 


Objects  relative  to  tlie  history  of  work  in  antiquity:  Egypt,  Assyria, 
Pkenicia,  Greece,  the  Roman  Empire,  and  particularly  Gaul,  the  ex¬ 
treme  Orient,  and  the  New  World  ;  models,  plans,  etc.,  and  character¬ 
istic  constructions ;  sculptures  and  paintings  (originals  and  copies), 
reproducing  the  manual  art ;  scientific  apparatus  and  material  for 
industrial  art  to  the  reign  of  Charlemagne  ;  specimens  representing 
the  different  phases  of  fabrication  and  collections  of  characteristic 
products. 

I.  GENERAL  ANTHROPOLOGY. 


The  display  of  anthropology  in  general,  was  marvelous.  A  resume 
of  it  shows  that  there  were  115  busts  or  entire  figures  of  races;  77 
pieces  or  casts  of  brains;  15  of  the  hand;  234  human  skulls  or  their 
casts,  of  which  48  were  prehistoric  or  very  ancient;  a  considerable 
number  of  paintings,  charts,  etc.,  these  being  all  furnished  by  71  per¬ 
sons,  of  which  24  came  from  foreign  countries,  among  which  are  named 
Great  Britain,  the  United  States  of  America,  Brazil,  Germany,  Aus¬ 
tria,  Norway,  Denmark,  Belgium,  Switzerland,  and  Italy. 

On  entering  the  building  of  Liberal  Arts  from  the  side  facing 
the  Seine  the  first  object  which  struck  the  eye  in  the  section  of  the 
Histoire  Retrospectif  du  Travail  was  a  gigantic  gilt  statue  of  the  Jap¬ 
anese  Buddha — one  of  the  grandest  and  largest  known.  It  came  from 
the  city  of  Nara,  which  was  in  the  eighth  century  the  capital  of  Japan, 
and  one  of  the  great  centers  of  the  Buddhist  religion. 

a  Derriere  le  Grand  Buddha  v  was  the  place  of  rendezvous  for  all  anthro¬ 
pologists  during  the  Exposition.  This  was  the  entrance  to  the  pavilion 
of  anthropological  science.  To  the  right  of  the  Grand  Buddha  were 
the  three  skeletons,  in  their  original  soil,  found  by  Dr.  Riviere  in  the 
Grotte  of  Mentone,  near  Nice,  with  whom  I  had  formed  an  interesting 
acquaintance  during  my  residence  as  consul  at  that  point.  The  earth 
was  cut  around  the  sides  and  at  the  bottom  so  as  to  lift  them  without 
disturbance  and  then  placed  on  blocks,  and  thus  transported  to  Paris  and 
are  now  here  displayed.  The  larger  and  most  important  of  these  skele¬ 
tons  is  that  at  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris.  None  of  these  have  ever 
been  disturbed  or  taken  out  of  their  native  soil  as  found  in  the  caves. 

To  the  left  were  casts  of  the  two  Bushmen,  who  had  been  presented 
to  the  Society  d’ Anthropologic  in  October  of  1886,  in  my  presence.  One 
of  the  men  was  afterwards  cast  in  full  life.  He  died  one  month  after 
the  casts  were  taken. 

On  the  outside  of  the  pavilion,  to  the  right  and  left,  respectively,  of 
the  Grand  Buddha,  were  the  two  cases  containing  the  objects  from  the 
United  States  transported  to  Paris  by  me.  When  the  various  con¬ 
gresses  were  in  session  during  the  Exposition  and  the  members  visited 
the  anthropological  section  of  the  Exposition  each  exponent  was  ex¬ 
pected  to  be  at  his  respective  place  to  show  his  objects,  to  make  such 
explanations  as  might  be  needed,  and  answer  such  questions  as  might 
be  put.  I  spent  the  principal  or  a  large  part  of  the  time  during  the 


644 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


weeks  of  the  meeting  of  the  Congress  of  Prehistoric  Anthropology 
engaged  in  this  and  similar  duties. 

Entering  the  pavilion  we  come  at  once  to  the  subject  of  anthropol¬ 
ogy  and  the  anthropological  sciences.  Dr.  Topinard  attended  on  every 
other  day,  at  10  o’clock  in  the  morning,  to  give  instructions  and  answer 
questions.  The  public  were  invited  to  be  present  at  the  conferences, 
and  they  were  attractive  and  interesting  as  well  as  instructive. 

In  the  entrance  to  this  pavilion  was  the  exhibit  of  Mr.  Carl  Lum- 
holtz,  the  Norwegian  traveler  and  anthropological  investigator  in  Aus¬ 
tralia  and  among  the  Australians.  His  display  consisted  of  Indian 
relics  from  the  mounds  of  Ohio  and  Minnesota. 

Possibly  no  better  understanding  could  be  given  of  the  science  of 
anthropology,  as  it  is  taught  in  France,  than  by  a  description  of  the 
charts  and  tables  displayed  by  Dr.  Topinard  and  used  by  him  before 
the  l5eole  d’Anthropologie.  The  following  were  displayed: 

(1)  Place  of  anthropology  in  science. 

(2)  Place  of  man  in  the  classification  of  mammals. 

(3)  Genealogical  tree  of  the  animals  up  to  man,  according  to  Lamarck. 

(4)  The  distance  of  man  from  the  anthropoides  as  determined  by  the 
weight  of  the  brain  and  capacity  of  the  skull. 

(5)  Composite  sterographic  representation  of  different  races. 

(6)  An  example  of  the  variation  of  character  in  a  single  human  group, 
taken  from  measurements  of  the  cephalic  index  of  1,000  Parisians. 

(7)  The  average  weight  of  brain  of  man  in  his  ordinary  condition  but 
at  different  periods  of  his  life. 

(8)  The  same,  divided  the  same  way,  of  men  in  peculiarly  good  con¬ 
dition,  as  of  professional  men,  those  of  leisure,  etc.  The  excess  over 
the  former  is  10  per  cent. 

(9)  The  same  of  woman.  The  difference  against  woman  when  com¬ 
pared  with  the  ordinary  man  is  4  per  cent. 

(10)  The  curved  lines  representing  the  average  variation  of  the  weight 
of  the  brain  in  man  from  15  years  of  age  until  his  death.  Average 
taken  from  1,551  cases. 

(11)  Classification  of  the  cephalic  index  by  units  and  also  by  5  units, 
according  to  the  quinary  nomenclature. 

A  series  of  anthropologic  charts,  sixteen  in  number,  forming  a  single 
work,  relative  to  the  color  of  eyes  and  hair  of  persons  in  France,  and 
giving  full  statistics. 

There  were  the  same  kind  of  charts  prepared  by  other  persons.  Drs. 
Collineau,  Bertholon,  and  Lelarge,  gave  the  division  and  classifica¬ 
tion  for  France,  Tunis,  and  Corsica,  showing  the  index  cephalic,  the 
nasal  index,  the  height  according  to  departments  and  given  localities. 
All  these  showed  the  extremes  as  well  as  the  average  of  each  charac¬ 
teristic. 

There  was  a  chart  of  the  same  kind,  showing  the  divisions  of  the 
Berber  race  in  Tunis, 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARTS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889. 


645 


There  were  similar  charts  and  statistics  relating  to  Germany,  by  Dr. 
Schaafi'hausen,  of  the  University  of  Bonn;  of  A.  B.  Meyer,  of  Dresden. 
Prof.  Virchow  presented  his  great  chart  on  the  color  of  the  eyes,  hair, 
and  skin  of  2,000,000  of  school  children  in  Germany,  taken  during  the 
year  1875,  showing  the  percentage  of  blonds,  of  brunettes,  of  brown 
eyes  to  blue  eyes,  of  brown  hair  to  blond  hair,  and  of  gray  eyes  to  light 
eyes. 

There  were  also  anthropologic  charts  from  the  British  Islands, show¬ 
ing  practically  the  same  classifications,  prepared  by  Dr.  John  Beddoe,  of 
Bristol,  England. 

The  same  for  Norway,  by  C.  Arbo  ;  of  Switzerland,  by  Dr.  Kollman. 

Also  ethnographic  charts  of  Caucasus,  by  Monsieur  Emil  Chantre ;  of 
south  oriental  Europe  and  of  Dobrusha,  by  M.  A.  Bosny ;  of  Asia,  by  M. 
Deniker,  librarian  at  the  Museum  of  Natural  History,  Paris,  together 
with  his  proposed  classifications  of  the  human  race  based  ou  their 
affinities  and  anthropologic  characters.  He  groups  the  people  of  Asia 
into  twenty-six  grand  divisions,  and  these  again,  according  to  locality, 
into  two  hundred  peoples  or  tribes. 

The  two  systems  of  representation  were  shown,  that  of  Drs.  Topinard 
and  Beddoe,  and  the  other  that  of  Professor  Virchow.  The  first  was 
represented  by  the  charts  of  Beddoe,  Bertillou,  Collineau,  Arno,  Arbo, 
and  the  other  by  the  charts  of  Virchow  and  Kollman.  In  the  first,  adults 
only  were  reported  ;  in  the  second,  children. 

The  prehistoric  skulls  or  their  casts  on  exhibition  numbered  forty- 
eight.  Among  these  were  all  the  principal  ones,  or  their  duplicates, 
Neanderthal,  Olmo,  Canstadt,  Brux,  Mentone,  Solutre,  Cro-Magnon, 
Langerie  Basse,  Spy,  etc. 

Those  from  Spy  were  taken  from  their  pedestals  and  exhibited  by 
their  discoverers  before  the  congress  of  anthropology,  and  the  necessary 
descriptions  were  given. 

Monsieur  Tramont  exhibited  a  series  of  comparative  anatomy  of  verte¬ 
brate  animals,  consisting  of  thirteen  skeletons.  They  were  arranged  to 
show  the  relationship  between  man  and  these  animals,  and,  beginning 
with  the  higher  and  going  downward,  they  were,  a  man,  a  chimpanzee, 
an  ourang,  a  monkey  of  the  ancient  continent,  one  of  the  new  conti¬ 
nent,  a  limure,abat,  a  lion,  a  kangaroo,  a  reptile,  and  two  fish.  Along 
with  it  was  another  series  of  five  pieces  showing  the  evolution  of  the 
brain  from  the  fish  to  the  man.  The  same  of  the  foot  and  hand,  show¬ 
ing  the  series  from  man  down — five  pieces.  Another  of  the  brain  rep¬ 
resented  by  tweuty-six  pieces,  ten  of  which  showed  the  structure  of 
the  brain,  two  its  exterior  part,  and  eleven  its  convolutions.  Dr.  Capi- 
tan  presented  an  exceedingly  interesting  series  relating  to  prehistoric 
trepanation.  There  were  a  number  of  prehistoric  skulls  bearing  evi¬ 
dences  of  trepanation;  one,  a  human,  bore  upon  its  right  side  a  deep 
circular  groove,  from  which  the  circular  piece  was  intended  to  be  taken 
out;  another,  a  modern  human  skull,  in  which  the  processes  ot  pro- 


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REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


historic  trepanation  in  its  various  stages  were  shown  ;  the  cut  was 
made  deep,  then  slighter,  a  portion  of  the  rondelle  taken  out,  and, 
finally,  the  entire  piece.  This  operation  was  performed  by  Dr.  Capi- 
tan  to  show  how  it  might  have  been  done  in  prehistoric  times.  The 
implements  with  which  it  was  performed  were  all  laid  by  the  side 
of  the  skull.  They  were  the  knives  and  scrapers  of  sharp  flint,  pieces 
of  wood  and  bone  to  support  them,  and  by  which  the  trepanned  piece 
could  be  lifted  out. 

There  were  also  skulls  of  dogs,  one  of  which  had  been  trepanned  after 
death,  another  which  had  been  trepanned  during  life,  and  lived  three 
weeks.  Again  another  which  had  the  same  operation  performed  and 
lived  six  mouths;  another,  six  weeks.  These  dogs  had  all  been  cured 
of  the  operation  and  were  in  a  situation  to  live  as  long  as  they  might. 
They  were  then  killed  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the  information 
concerning  the  operation.  The  results  were  such  as  to  show  that  the 
implements  and  instruments  used  produced  a  trepanation  identical  with 
those  observed  upon  prehistoric  skulls. 

This  display  of  Dr.  Capitan  would  have  warmed  the  hearts  of  our 
doctors  at  the  Army  Medical  Museum  if  they  could  but  have  seen  it. 

it  was  supplemented  and  made  much  more  interesting  by  nearly  all 
the  genuine  and  original  trepanned  skulls  from  France. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  this  exposition  was  filled  with  all  the 
necessary  descriptive  charts  and  casts,  colored  plates,  characteristic 
subjects  for  study  of  anatomy  and  the  human  form,  but  they  can  not  be 
mentioned  here.  There  were  extensive  representations  of  the  races  and 
peoples  of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  and  Indian  Oceans. 

Complete  series  of  instruments  of  craniometry  and  anthropometry 
were  exhibited  ;  those  by  Mathien,  Collen,  Tramont,  Molteni,  Colas,  and 
Mr.  Francis  Galton,  of  Great  Britain ;  also  those  by  Dr.  Gillet  de 
Grandmont  by  Hamy  of  the  Ethnographic  Musee  of  the  Trocadero, 
Demeny  ot  the  College  de  France,  Dr.  Luigi  Anfosso,  and  others  from 
Italy,  and  not  to  be  forgotten  was  that  of  Dr.  Benedikt  of  the  Univer¬ 
sity  ol  Vienna.  He  has  just  published  a  work  upon  the  subject  of 
craniometry. 

It  has  appeared  to  me  fit  in  times  past  to  criticise  adversely  the 
apathy,  it  not  to  say  opposition,  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  people  of 
the  United  Htates  to  the  science  of  anthropometry.  Anthropometry 
and  craniology  may  not  have  been  able  to  classify  the  races  of  men  in 
either  a  perfect  or  approved  manner,  and  so  some  of  our  anthropolo¬ 
gists  have  been  led  to  oppose  it;  but  it  is  of  such  benefit  and  impor¬ 
tance  as  that  it  ought  not  to  be  overlooked  nor  fall  into  disuse.  I  may 
be  excused  il  I  give  a  list  of  some  of  the  instruments  used  for  this  pur¬ 
pose.  I  take  the  exhibit  of  Mr.  Francis  Galton.  He  has  described  his 
system  and  his  instruments  in  the  Journal  of  the  Anthropological  In¬ 
stitute,  and  I  shall  not  repeat  it. 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  64? 


I.  Spirometre  to  measure  the  capacity  of  respiration. 

II.  Dynamo  metre  for  the  hand. 

III.  Dynamometre  for  the  arm. 

TV.  A  series  of  colored  wools  to  be  used  in  testing  the  candidates  iu 
color-blindness. 

Y.  A  rule  to  determine  the  individual  aptitude  to  measure  and  divide 
distances,  to  divide  angles.  Another  to  test  the  aptitude  or  capacity 
for  judging  of  weight. 

IX,  X  and  XI.  To  test  the  capacity  of  the  ear  to  detect  differences 
iu  sound. 

XII.  An  apparatus  to  measure  an  interval,  and  the  difference  in  its 
detection  between  the  eyes  and  the  ear. 

There  was  to  be  added  to  this  list  other  instruments  which  were  not 
present  because  of  their  weight  and  their  not  being  necessary.  The 
scales,  the  measure  of  height,  the  measure  of  the  length  of  arm,  the 
compass,  and  the  models  for  establishing  the  colors  of  the  eyes  and  hair. 

With  these  instruments  Mr.  Galtou  established  a  laboratory  of  an¬ 
thropometry  at  the  health  exposition  of  1884  at  Loudon,  and  he  used  a 
formula  of  tables  on  which  all  these  things  were  entered,  and  one  copy 
kept  and  another  given  to  the  subject.  I  have  one  which  I  received 
from  his  laboratory  on  being  measured  myself,  personally,  at  the  Brit¬ 
ish  Association  at  Newcastle. 

The  display  of  M.  Mathieu,  a  mathematical  instrument  maker  on  the 
Boulevard  St.  Germain,  near  to  the  Eeole  de  Medicine,  are  those  made 
after  the  system  of  Broca.  The  compass  for  measuring  thicknesses 
having  small  balls  upon  the  end,  and  the  graduating  arm  markiug 
millimetres;  a  sliding  compass  marked  in  the  same  way;  divers  gouio* 
metres  ;  a  craniostat,  with  its  needles  for  measuring  orbits  ;  the  endo- 
metre;  the  crochet  occipital,  and  all  the  tropometre,  the  apparatus  for 
taking  the  cubic  contents  of  skulls. 

Let  no  one  think  that  even  with  all  this  apparatus  he  can  measure 
skulls  with  accuracy  or  certainty  until  after  he  shall  have  had  suffi¬ 
cient  practice  and  instruction.  I  served  in  the  Laboratoire  d’Anthro- 
pologie,  at  Paris,  practising  upon  the  same  skull  for  two  weeks,  the 
afternoon  of  each  day,  before  I  obtained  sufficient  degree  of  manipula¬ 
tion  to  be  able  to  measure  the  same  skull  two  times  alike. 

The  apparatus  in  use  in  the  police  department  by  Alphonse  Bertillon 
was  also  displayed  by  their  maker,  M.  Colas.  They  consisted  of  (1) 
scale  for  measuring  the  height,  standing;  (1!)  scale  for  measuring  the 
height,  sitting;  (3)  scale  for  measuring  the  outstretched  arm  ;  (4)  the 
compass  of  M.  Bertillon,  (5)  the  sliding  compass  to  measure  the  elbow, 
length  of  the  foot,  palm  of  the  hand  ;  (6)  small  compass  to  measure  the 
fingers  and  the  ears. 

The  display  of  anthropometric  instruments  made  by  Dr.  Topinard 
was  more  interesting  as  an  illustrated  history  of  the  science  than  for 
actual  use.  He  exhibited  various  kinds,  the  earliest  ones  that  were 


648 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


used,  their  changes,  their  improvements,  etc. ;  the  different  methods  ot 
measuring  skulls— that  employed  by  MM.  Kanke,  Tlianu,  Holder,  Vir- 
chow,  and,  of  course,  Broca. 

Dr.  flamy  exhibited  a  set  of  anthropometric  instruments  packed  for 
transportation.  They  were  intended  for  travelers  and  to  be  used  in 
measuring  the  living  person,  usually  the  savage  among  whom  the  trav¬ 
eler  might  pass.  They  consisted  of  the  various  compasses,  the  meas¬ 
ures,  etc.,  together  with  the  tables  that  were  to  be  used  in  transcribing 
them. 


The  Government  of  Denmark  made  a  special  exhibit  at  its  own  ex¬ 
pense  with  its  own  officers  in  charge,  working,  of  course,  under  the 
direction  of  the  committee. 

There  was  an  extensive  exhibit  from  Italy,  but  it  pertained  more  to 


anthropology  pure  and  simple,  and  its  relation  to  crime. 

Belgium  was  well  represented,  and  her  museums  and  societies  and 
amateur  collectors  lent  their  objects  quite  freely  and  made  an  elaborate 
and  extensive  display,  comprising  the  great  discoveries  of  MM.  Fraipont 
and  Lohest  in  the  Grotte  de  Spy  relating  to  the  paleolithic  period. 

Dr.  Cunningham,  from  the  medical  college  of  the  Dublin  University, 
made  a  presentation  of  twenty  pieces  prepared  by  his  process  of  freez¬ 
ing,  similar  to  those  now  shown  in  the  Army  Medical  Museum. 

Probably  the  most  important,  the  most  unique  and  valuable  contri¬ 
bution  in  relation  to  American  prehistoric  anthropology,  was  that 
made  by  the  National  Museum  of  Bio  Janeiro,  Brazil.  It  consisted  of 
9  skulls  of  prehistoric  men,  the  chief  among  which  was  that  of  Lagoa 
Santa  which  was  discovered  now  15  or  more  years  by  Lund  during  his 
residence  in  that  country,  taken  by  him  to  Copenhagen,  and  lately  pub¬ 
lished  by  Dr.  Soren  Hansen.  Other  prehistoric  skulls  of  the  same 
country  and  part  of  the  same  exposition  were  those  from  the  shell  heaps 
of  Parama,  St.  Catharine,  etc. 

The  prehistoric  man  of  Caucasus  was  represented  by  the  collection  of 
Monsieur  Chantre,  who  has  made  such  studies  in  that  couuutry,  the  re¬ 
sults  of  which  have  been  lately  published  in  his  extensive  work. 

The  collection  of  M.  H.  H.  Bisley,  director  of  the  ethnographic  service 
of  Bengal,  comprised  about  six  hundred  objects  and  gave  as  complete  a 
representation  of  ethnography  in  India  as  was  possible. 

There  were  casts  of  fourteen  skulls  of  Indians  from  North  America. 
They  were  all  of  prisoners  in  Florida,  and  the  casts  were  sent  by  the 
Smithsonian  Institution. 


PREHISTORIC  ANTHROPOLOGY. 


FRANCE — PALEOLITHIC  PERIOD. 


A 

This  division  was  under  the  special  charge  of  M.  Cartailhac.  It  was 
ai ranged  b\  him,  and  was  intended  to  be  as  complete  an  exposition  of 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  6  49 


tlieir  own  country,  France,  as  it  was  possible  to  make.  M.  Cartailhac 
classified  it  as  follows  : 

The  first  period  of  the  paleolithic  age,  the  alluvium  ;  the  second 
period  of  the  paleolithic  age,  the  caverns;  the  neolithic  period;  the 
age  of  metal,  which  he  divided  into  Celtic  and  Gauloise  periods,  which 
brought  it  to  the  historic  period,  and  there  his  display  ended.  The 
historical  career  of  France  was  taken  up  in  another  section. 

The  display  of  prehistoric  archeology  was  more  extensive  than  one 
would  suppose  from  the  meager  description  I  have  been  able  to  give. 
There  were  no  less  than  eighty-five  cases,  tables,  shelves,  etc.  All  the 
epochs  mentioned  in  the  description  were  here  displayed.  They  were 
divided  among  the  paleolithic,  neolithic,  and  bronze  ages,  though  these 
were  not  in  all  cases  kept  separate,  it  being  found  impracticable  to 
make  the  classification  and  divide  the  collection  of  each  contributor. 
Making  the  rudest  attempt  at  classification,  I  give  the  following  : 


TERTIARY. 


[Collections  of  the  Arctueologic  Society  of  Vendotue.  M.  Ad.  Arcelin,  Macon.] 


PALEOLITHIC. 

Collections  of — 

MM.  Cnnisset-Carnot,  l)ijon. 

M.  E.  Cartailhac,  Toulouse. 

M.  Marcellin  Bonle,  Aurillac. 

M.  E.  Collin,  Chelles. 

M.  A.  Nicaise,  Chelles,  Marne,  Yonne,  Aube,  Moustier. 

M.  Elie  Massenat,  Correze,  Dordogne. 

M.  Vauville,  Cceuvres,  Roche-Bertier,  Charente. 

* 

Madame  Capitan,  Vienne — Surface. 

M.  Lejeuue,  Pas-de-Calais. 

M.  Abbe  Maillard,  VErve. 

M.  Maurice  Feaux,  Dordogne. 

M.  Michel  Hardy,  Jean  le  Blanc,  Bruniquel,  Badegoule. 

M.  Paiguon,  Montgandier. 

M.  J.  St.  Venant,  Jussy-Champagne,  Cher. 

M.  Cau-D urban,  Hante-Garonne,  Grotto  de  Forges  near  Bruniquel. 
Viscount  de  Lastic,  Tarn-et-Garouue. 

M.  Paysant,  Grotte  de  Reilhac,  Rossiguol. 

M.  Judge  Piette,  Mas  d’Azil,  Grotte  Duruthy. 


Several  of  these  collections  of  paleolithic  implements  were  from  the 
surface,  notably  those  oi  M.  Cartailhac  and  Madame  Capitan.  Moie 
than  one-half  of  them  contain  objects  engraved  or  sculptured.  The 
principal  were  those  of  Judge  Piette,  M.  Massenat,  Maurice  Feaux, 
Michel  Hardy,  M.  Paiguon,  M.  Cau  Durban,  M.  Paysant,  and  Viscount 


de  Lastic. 

lean  do  no  better  in  giving  a  description  of  this  section  of  prehistoric 
archeology  than  to  take  a  portion  of  M.  Cartailhac’s  carefully  digested 
and  closely  written  introduction.  He  says  : 


The  paleolithic  period  having  endured  for  a  long  time,  presents  itself  to  us  with 
various  and  successive  aspects.  The  objects  of  industry,  the  most  ancient  of  all  Eu- 


650 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


rope,  are  shown  iii  the  alluvium  of  the  great  rivers,  on  the  shores  of  which  lived  our 
ancestors,  having  around  them  a  magnificent  fauna.  Two  species  of  elephants,  two 
rhinoceros,  and  other  animals  that  appear  to  have  made  their  rendezvous  from  Asia 
and  Africa  on  the  territory  of  France.  Secondary,  flora  to  support  the  life  ot  the  vari¬ 
ous  animals,  which  was  made  possible  by  warm  and  rainy  climate.  The  man  of  this 
period  is  known  to  us,  not  by  his  bones,  but  only  by  his  industry.  We  have  his  imple¬ 
ments  of  chipped  stone.  The  other  matter  employed  in  liis  tools  and  implements  for 
his  weapons  were  perishable,  and  thus  have  not  left  any  record.  The  stone  was 
chosen  with  care  for  that  kind  of  work  for  which  it  was  to  be  employed.  They  are, 
more  than  anj7,  the  flint,  but  in  certain  regions  quartz,  quartzite,  and  sandstone. 
The  instruments  have  been  made  by  chipping,  and  sometimes  the  first  flakes  were 
used  and  sometimes  the  block  itself.  They  were  sharpened  on  their  edges  and  points 
by  retouching,  sometimes  by  shock  and  sometimes  by  pressure.  It  is  not  possible  to 
distinguish  the  arms  from  the  tools.  The  specimens  vary  much  in  form,  size,  and  in 
the  finish.  Some  of  them  are  fashioned  with  art  and  delicacy. 

This  extremely  interesting  civilization  reigned  in  a  great  part  of  the  world.  Its 
vestiges  are  found  in  eastern  Europe,  in  the  north  and  south  of  Africa,  in  India,  in 
the  United  States.  The  history  of  the  actual  savage  resembles  it  in  many  degrees. 

The  second  period  of  the  paleolithic  age  was  that  of  the  caverns.  The  climate  be¬ 
came  modified,  dry  and  cold.  The  animals  who  could  not  live  without  heat  disap¬ 
peared.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  we  find  an  abundance  of  those  who  remain  have 
retired  heretofore  towards  the  colder  regions.  These  are  the  blue  fox,  the  arctic  hare, 
the  reindeer,  and  on  our  elevated  plateaus  the  mountain  goat,  the  chamois,  and  also 
the  siaga  or  antelope.  The  plauts  are  recognized  as  the  species  which  to-day  live 
within  the  polar  circle.  The  glaciers  before  and  at  sundry  times  have  descended  or 
did  descend  to  the  plains,  and  covering  to  a  large  extent  the  valley,  now  extended 
amongst  the  mountains  of  their  actual  neighborhood. 

It  was  during  this  epoch  that  Europe  became  separated  from  the  American  conti¬ 
nent  on  the  one  side  and  with  the  British  islands  on  the  other.  The  industry  is 
slowly  transformed,  and  it  was  at  first  very  like  that  of  the  period  which  had  just 
passed.  Then  new  forms  appear.  The  stones,  which  until  then  were  chipped  on  both 
their  faces,  were  replaced  by  the  flakes  detached  from  the  nuclei.  One  face  of  these 
flake's  remains  smooth  aud  untouched,  while  the  other  faco  was  retouched  with  care, 
and  thus  the  implement  is  brought  to  an  edge  and  point.  These  points  could  have 
served  for  spearheads  or  something  similar.  Other  productions  were  rather  tools, 
and  they  are  called  scrapers  or  racloirs,  such  as  resemble  the  instruments  of  the  same 
kind  utilized  by  savages  of  the  present  day,  like  those  of  the  Eskimo. 

Later  still  the  working  of  this  stone  took  a  marvelous  development.  The  tools  are 
easily  distinguished  from  the  weapons.  These  latter  are  the  spears,  lances,  or  arrow¬ 
heads  made  of  the  flake  or  blades  of  flint,  often  large  and  long,  retouched  and  chis¬ 
eled  with  great  care  on  both  their  faces.  The  tools,  in  general  of  small  dimensions, 
were  already  of  great  variety.  The  flakes  detached  from  the  nuclei  and  then  re¬ 
touched  became  saws,  gravers,  piercers  or  perforators,  grattoirs  or  scrapers,  and  the 
bones  of  all  the  auimals  were  utilized  in  the  same  way  for  the  same  purpose.  In  the 
habitation  or  resting  place  of  the  prehistoric  people  of  this  epoch  thousands  of  these 
pieces  of  flint  and  of  these  worked  bones  are  found.  The  bones,  which  serve  to  make 
the  ornaments,  pendants,  harpoons,  arrowheads,  needles,  and  a  mass  of  objects  which 
we  can  not  always  recognize  the  purpose  even  with  all  the  aids  of  all  peoples  who 
are  now  in  the  same  level  of  civilization. 

The  shells  came  from  the  ocean  or  the  Mediterranean.  The  rock  aud  the  silex  or 
flint  were  brought  from  distant  beds,  testimony  of  their  commercial  relations  of  long 
voyages  whether  in  pursuit  or  avoidance  of  savage  tribes  or  in  search  of  better  ter¬ 
ritories  for  game.  Our  ancestors  frequented  aud  inhabited  the  caverns  or  the  rock 
shelters  on  the  borders  of  rivers  which  furnished  abundance  of  fish.  They  do  uot 
appear  to  have  known  any  domestic  auimals  in  this  epoch.  The  reindeer  and  the 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARTS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  651 

horse  were  wild.  The  ox  tribe  was  represented  by  the  anroch  or  bison  of  Europe,  and 
the  urns.  The  domestic  dog  did  uot  then  exist. 

No  traces  of  cereals  have  ever  been  met  with,  nor  any  grinding  or  pounding  instru¬ 
ments,  like  a  mortar  or  grinding  stone,  which  justifies  the  belief  that  agriculture  was  in 
progress.  Nor  was  pottery  yet  in  use.  This  civilization  to  which  they  have  given  the 
name  of  the  age  of  the  reindeer  was  the  artistic  one  par  excellence  of  all  prehistoric 
ages.  There  was  an  efflorescence  of  art  without  precedent.  For  the  tirst  time  man  drew, 
engraved,  and  sculptured  living  things  with  which  he  was  surrounded,  and  brought 
them  out  with  an  aesthetic  taste  truly  astonishing.  The  hunters  of  the  reindeer  had 
some  regard  for  their  dead.  They  did  not  yet  construct  a  cemetery,  nor  did  they  yet 
inter  the  bodies.  But  they  often  placed  their  dead  in  the  grotto  and  cavern  which 
they  occupied,  in  the  ashes  of  their  hearthstone,  in  the  middle  of  all  the  debris  of 
their  kitchens  or  industries,  nor  did  they  quit  their  habitations  in  this  grotto  for  this 
reason.  The  dead,  in  some  cases  at  least,  were  the  objects  of  particular  care.  After 
the  disappearance  of  the  flesh  the  skeleton  was  covered  with  red  powder,  and  we  And 
it  many  times  ornamented  in  what  would  correspond  to  difl'ereut  parts  of  the  costume, 
with  marine  shells,  amulets,  the  teeth  of  animals. 

The  majority  of  the  men  of  this  period  belong  to  the  race  which  have  been  called 
Cro-Magnon.  There  was  another  with  savage  aspect,  called  race  of  Canstadt  or  Spy, 
the  name  of  the  localities  where  the  industries  have  been  the  best  characterized.  The 
stations  in  France  in  which  these  industries  have  her  u  found  number  more  than  one 
hundred,  and  there  are  many  others  iu  neighboring  countries  which  show  the  same 
civilization  and  have  evidently  belonged  to  the  same  epoch.  There  is  as  yet  no 
natural  phenomena  which  has  been  taken  for  a  chrouometer,  or  which  has  been  able 
to  furnish  dates  by  which  we  can  determine  the  antiquity  of  these  two  ages  of  stone. 

M.  Georges  Perrat,  member  of  the  Institute  of  Paris,  says  that  hu¬ 
manity  has  not  even  the  faintest  idea  of  these  two  ages.  All  our  studies 
have  not  even  pierced  the  darkness.  We  are  lost  in  the  night  of  our 
ignorance,  and  all  our  studies  have  uot  taken  us  over  the  threshold  of 
that  night. 

I  will  not  extend  this  further.  I  trust  enough  has  been  said  to  dem¬ 
onstrate  the  extent  and  importance  of  the  anthropologic  display  at 
this  exposition,  and  to  show  the  importance  with  which  the  science  is 
regarded  by  the  savants  of  France  and  its  adjoining  countries.  Pro¬ 
fessor  Mason  was  quite  right  when  he  said,  as  he  did  iu  his  paper  read 
before  the  Anthropolical  Society  ot  Washington,  and  published  in  the 
“Anthropologist,77  that  the  opportunities  to  study  the  natural  history  of 
man  in  Paris  during  the  exposition  were  unparalleled,  and  that  at  any 
time  the  French  capital  affords  rare  advantages  to  the  anthropologist. 

POLISHED  STONE  AND  BRONZE. 


Collections  of 
MM.  Emile  Tate,  Aisne. 

Capitau. 

Leou  Cabiugt,  Seine  Inferior. 
Judge  Piette. 
detriment  Rubbens. 
Valentine  Smith. 

Cartailhac. 

Pitre  de  Lisle,  Brittany. 
Chauvet,  Ckarente. 

Dr.  Berchon,  Madoc. 


652 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


Dr.  Lecocq,  Normandy. 

Massenat,  Lot  and  Correze. 

Lemire. 

Eugene  Piketty. 

Earnest  Ckantre,  Koban,  Caucasus. 

B.  Tornier,  Hautes  Alpes. 

Can -Durban,  Saint-Girons. 

Collin,  Seine-et  Oise. 

A  magnificent  collection  was  that  of  Mr.  Frederic  Moreau,  filling 
nineteen  cases  and  comprising  every  arcb geological  epoch  and  period  of 
France.  They  are  principally  his  own  discoveries,  and  he  has  pub¬ 
lished  each  year  for  many  years  a  report  of  his  work  and  a  description 
of  the  objects  found,  the  latter  in  the  form  of  an  album  with  beautiful 
chrorno  lithographic  illustrations. 


FRANCE — NEOLITHIC  PERIOD. 


To  the  cold  and  dryness  of  the  climate  of  the  epoch  of  the  reindeer 
succeeded  the  climate  of  the  present  time,  though  at  first  more  humid 
than  to-day.  There  was  no  more  rhinoceros,  nor  elephant,  nor  the 
great  cave  bear,  which  are  now  extinct  species,  nor  the  reindeer,  nor 
the  animals  which  had  been  cold-blooded,  for  they  had  all  emigrated 
toward  the  north.  The  wild  animals  at  the  commencement  of  the  neo¬ 
lithic  period  seem  to  have  been  those  of  the  present  time,  though  more 
numerous  than  now.  Animals  became  domesticated;  the  dog  was  the 
first,  and  probably  after  him  the  horse.  The  cultivated  plants  showed 
themselves  at  the  same  time,  though  probably  in  succession  and  not 
always  the  same  variety  that  we  now  possess.  Flax  was  utilized,  but 
not  hemp.  The  industry  indicates  to  us  with  what  slowness  civiliza¬ 
tion  has  evolved.  Man  lived  not  iu  the  cavern,  but  only  just  outside. 

The  civilization  of  the  neolithic  period  is  characterized  principally  by 
the  polished  stone  hatchet.  This  implement  has  become  so  abundant 
that  many  communities  have  counted  them  by  the  thousand.  Ethnog¬ 
raphy  has  taught  us  that  the  use  of  these  implements  was  much 


varied.  Sometimes  it  was  an  arm,  sometimes  a  sign  of  the  chief,  some¬ 
times  a  cutting  tool,  and  sometimes  an  instrument  to  dig  in  the  earth. 
We  have  discovered  the  different  systems  of  the  handling  of  these 
hatchets  and  their  different  destinations.  They  were  made  of  the 
local  rock  and  the  form  varied  slightly  according  to  their  region.  The 
same  observation  is  true  of  all  contemporaneous  objects.  This  differ¬ 
ence  in  these  tools  and  in  the  objects  of  their  industry  would  tend  to 
show  that  there  were  distinct  groups  in  the  population  of  France  at 
this  epoch.  It  is  doubtless  true  that  there  are  found  a  number  of  varia¬ 
tions  in  arms,  tools,  ornaments,  and  implements,  which  on  examination 


as  to  material,  etc.,  prove  to  be  foreign  to  the  country,  and  are  there¬ 
fore  believed  to  furnish  proof  of  foreign  commercial  relations.  There 
were  quarries  and  workshops  of  flint  which  seem  to  have  been  made 
for  exportation,  notably  that  of  Grand  Pressigny  in  the  Vienne,  Men- 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  653 


don,  on  the  Marne,  near  Paris,  also  in  Aveyron.  In  all  these  they  had 
mines  ot  Hint,  with  wells  and  long  and  deep  galleries  for  exploring  them. 
Bone,  stone,  and  wood  were  worked  with  talent  and  for  Yarious  desti¬ 
nations.  The  pottery  became  in  extensive  use. 

The  Swiss  lakes  have  preserved  pieces  of  textile  fabrics  from  which 
they  can  be  easily  reproduced.  This  civilization  compares  with  that  of 
the  natives  of  the  Polynesian  Islands. 

The  man  of  that  period  had  the  idea  to  build  his  habitation  above 
the  water,  and  each  lake  has  preserved  at  its  center  and  in  its  bottom 
the  ruins  and  cumulation  of  debris  which  has  furnished  the  most  com¬ 
plete  information. 

The  lake  dwellings  constructed  on  piles  firmly  driven  into  the  bottom, 
were  agglomerations  of  huts  or  cabins  which  did  not  differ  very  much 
from  those  which  later  were  the  habitations  of  the  Gaulois.  The  coast 
was  well  inhabited.  Each  shore  bears  an  enormous  accumulation  of 
shells,  principally  of  oysters,  in  the  midst  of  which  we  now  find  well- 
preserved  worked  objects,  sometimes  of  flint,  sometimes  of  horn,  bone 
or  shell.  These  shell-heaps  are  probably  the  earliest  human  habitation 
of  the  neolithic  period. 

There  has  never  been  found  a  picture  or  engraving  of  a  human  figure 
in  this  stage,  except  a  possibly  human  representation  sculptured  in 
relief  on  the  sides  of  one  of  the  grottoes  in  the  Marne,  and  something 
of  the  same  kind  on  several  dolmens  in  Normandy  and  Provence.  The 
neolithic  human  races  were  much  varied  and  mixed.  No  one  has  been 
able  to  determine  any  relation  between  any  one  of  them  and  the  mon¬ 
uments  which  belonged  to  the  same  age. 

The  names  given  by  M.  Cartailhac  to  the  periods  in  the  prehistoric 
history  of  France  subsequent  to  the  neolithic  and  before  the  historic 
period,  were  the  Celtic  and  Gauloise  periods.  They  correspond  with 
the  ages  of  bronze  and  iron. 

DESCRIPTION  OE  SPECIAL  EXHIBITS. 

Probably  the  most  interesting  and  instructive  collection  displayed 
under  the  head  of  prehistoric  anthropology  and  archaeology,  certainly 
that  which  attracted  the  most  attention,  was  the  reconstruction  ol  the 
families  of  men  of  the  different  prehistoric  races.  The  figures  were 
life  size  and  reproduced  after  the  most  accurate  study.  1  fie  greatest 
care  was  used  in  the  details  of  the  anatomy,  the  industry,  the  costume, 
and  surroundings.  They  were  the  combined  work  ot  scientists  and 
artists  the  most  capable,  and  all  that  the  anthropologist,  ethnologist, 
anatomist,  and  artist  sculptor  could  do  was  done  to  make  them  true 
and  correct  representations.  One  group  represented  the  chelleeu  epocli 
or  the  age  of  the  mammoth,  or  alluvium,  and  this  was  called  the  fiist 
industry.  The  second  represented  the  cavern  period,  or  the  age  ol  the 
reindeer,  and  was  called  the  first  artist.  The  tliird  represented  the 
neolithic  period,  or  the  age  of  polished  stone.  It  was  the  first  con- 


654 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


structor.  The  fourth  was  a  bronze  foundry  and  represented  the  first 
metallurgist.  Each  one  of  these  occupied  its  respective  corner  in  the 
interior  court  of  prehistoric  anthropology. 

In  the  center  was  a  group  representing  the  tent  and  encampment  of 
the  Samoiedes  from  northern  Russia  with  their  outfit  of  reindeer,  etc. 
This  was  intended  to  represent  the  age  of  the  reindeer  of  modern  times. 

Two  other  groups  occupied  places  in  the  same  court.  One  represented 
the  age  of  iron  of  primitive  times  and  was  taken  from  a  group  of  Soudan 
blacksmiths 5  the  other  was  a  group  of  Aztecs  making  paper  of  agave 
plant.  The  latter  was  made  from  models  furnished  to  the  Trocadero 
Museum  by  the  Smithsonian  Institution. 

These  were  the  work  of  M.  Jules  Hebert,  the  artist  modeler  of  the 
Trocadero  Museum,  done  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Hamy,  conserva- 
teur  of  that  museum.  The  principal  groups  will  be  described. 


Grout  1. — Paleolithic  period.  Chelleen  epoch. 

(Corresponding  to  the  alluvium  or  age  of  mammoth.) 

\ 

At  the  foot  of  a  tree  which  bent  over  and  spread  its  branches  to  fur¬ 
nish  a  protection  were  a  man  and  a  woman  eugaged  in  making  the  rude 
flint  implements  of  the  epoch.  (PI.  CLVii.) 

The  proportions  and  general  forms  of  the  body  the  cephalic  indices 
and  the  general  morphology  of  the  face  are  taken  from  the  human  crania 
and  bones  found  in  the  caverns  which  have  served  as  habitations  for  the 
man  of  this  epoch — Spy,  La  Naulette,  Gourdon — while  the  flesh  and  par¬ 
ticularly  the  nose,  lips,  breasts,  etc.,  are  reproduced  after  atavic  types, 
specially  observed  in  Belgium  and  the  neighborhood  of  Paris.  The 
costume  is  imaginary,  but  was  patterned  after  that  of  the  savages  of 
modern  times. 

CROur  2. — Cavern  period. 


(Corresponding  to  the  age  of  reindeer  or  the  solutreen  moustierien  and  madalenien  epochs.) 

The  scene  (PI.  olviii)  represents  a  woman  and  a  young  man  engaged 
in  engraving  the  reindeer  horn,  as  described  in  the  chapter  on  prehis¬ 
toric  art.  The  father  of  the  family  has  just  returned  from  the  chase  and 
carries  the  hind  quarters  of  a  mountain  goat,  which  he  has  killed. 

The  natural  portions  of  the  scene  are  reproductions  of  the  rock  shelter 
at.  Laugerie  Basse  as  determined  by  the  discoveries  of  M.  Elie  Massauet. 
The  three  personages  were  reconstructed  with  the  aid  of  the  skeletons 
which  had  been  found  almost  entire  in  the  caverns  of  this  neighborhood, 
Laugerie  Basse,  Cro-Magnon,  etc.  By  their  means  the  anthroplo- 
gist  was  able  to  ftx  the  proportions  of  the  body  and  the  essential 
forms  of  the  lace  and  skull.  The  soft  parts  representing  flesh,  were 
made  after  individuals  of  an  apparently  similar  race,  principally  the 
Berbers,  of  the  type  of  Cro-Magnon.  The  arms,  tools,  and  implements, 
were  patterned  alter  original  pieces  obtained  from  the  caverns  of  the 
neighborhood.  The  disposition  ol  the  hair  of  the  old  man,  is  that  of  the 
celebrated  engraving  on  reindeer  horn  found  at  Laugerie  Basse  by  M. 
Massenat  and  known  under  the  name  ol  uthe  man  chasing  the  auroch.,, 
Ihe  shells  which  have  been  pierced  and  strung,  and  worn  as  ornaments 


Report  of  National  Museum,  1890. — Wilson. 


Plate  CLVII. 


Representation  of  the  Neanderthal  or  Canstadt  Race  of  Men. 


(The  Chellean  epoch  of  the  Paleolithic  age.) 


Report  of  National  Museum,  1890. — Wilson. 


Plate  CLVIII. 


Representation  of  the  Cro-Magnon  Race  of  Men. 

(Cavern  period  of  the  Paleolithic  age.) 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  6  5  5 


around  the  head  and  on  the  arms  and  limbs,  are  placed  as  they  were  found 
by  M.  Oartailhac  on  the  fossil  man  at  Laugerie.  The  shells  aud  amulets 
of  ivory  worn  by  the  woman  and  the  young  man  are  reproductions  of 
those  of  Cro-Magnon.  Thus  much  is  known  or,  at  least,  can  be  fairly 
judged  to  be  an  actual  representation  of  these  people.  The  costumes  of 
skin  worn  by  these  people  are  purely  imaginary,  for  nothing  is  known 
concerning  them.  Therefore,  it  has  been  made  up  from  the  costumes 
of  various  savage  tribes.  The  bones  of  animals,  etc.,  which  lie  in  such 
a  mass  on  the  ground  around  the  mouth  of  the  cavern  are  believed  to  be 
a  substantial  representation  of  the  ancient  times,  and  give  one  an  idea 
of  how  these  things  accumulated. 

Group  3. — Neolithic  period  or  age  of  polished  stone  or  Robenhausen  epoch. 


The  scene  depicted  in  Plate  clix  represents  three  men  erecting  a 
prehistoric  funeral  monument.  One  is  making  a  hieroglyph,  the  sec¬ 
ond  polishing  a  hatchet  by  rubbing  it  on  one  of  the  great  polishing 
stones,  and  the  third  is  making  a  pottery  vase.  This  epoch  or  period 
is  quite  a  different  civilization  from  either  of  the  former.  It  was  char¬ 
acterized  by  the  polishing  of  stone  for  weapons,  tools  and  implements, 
by  the  development  of  the  ceramic  industry,  by  the  invention  of  archi¬ 
tecture,  and  by  sculpture  on  the  face  of  the  rock.  This  scene  is  in¬ 
tended  to  represent  the  principal  of  these  discoveries.  It  does  not, 
and,  indeed,  could  not  represent  the  other  manifestations  of  civiliza¬ 
tion,  such  as  agriculture,  sociology,  etc.  These  men  are  erecting  a  dol¬ 
men.  It  is  not  of  any  particular  one,  but  represents  the  principal  parts 
of  several.  The  stone  with  a  hole  through  it,  which  separates  the  ves¬ 
tibule  from  the  funeral  chambers,  is  copied'  from  that  of  la  Belle-Haie, 
near  Gisor.  The  first  stone  to  the  left  exhibits  a  feminine  figure,  or 
one  which  has  been  so  considered,  though  I  have  had  doubts  about  it. 
Yet  these  and  similar  have  been  found,  one  each  in  Normandy,  Marne, 
aud  Le  Gard.  The  polishing  stone  of  the  second  workman  is  copied 
from  the  collection  of  Dr.  Capital).  The  vase  of  the  third  is  made  by 
hand,  aud  one  of  the  common  dolmen  type. 

The  remarks  heretofore  made  as  to  the  faithful  representation  ot  these 


personages  taken  so  far  as  possible  from  originals,  applies  here.  The 
potter  is  a  type  of  one  of  the  races  of  Furfooz,  Belgium,  discovered 
by  M.  Dupont,  and  is  the  oldest  potter  known.  The  costumes  are  re¬ 
constituted  from  similar  objects  found  in  the  lake  dwellings  ot  Roben¬ 
hausen.  This  settlement  is  believed  to  have  been  destroyed  by  fire,  and 


the  objects  have  been  charred,  and,  falling  into  the  lake,  the  fire  was 
extinguished  and  they  thus  preserved.  The  pieces  have  been  found  in 
such  numbers,  and  extend  to  such  variety,  as  that  the  anthropologists 


feel  justified  in  believing  that  they  have  a  substantially  correct  repie 
sentation.  Much  of  the  material  is  the  hammered  or  bruised  bark. 
Other  portions  of  the  costume  were  of  linen  cloth,  dyed  sometimes  l»n>\\  n 
with  ochre,  sometimes  blue  with  pastel.  The  loot  coverings  aie  in- 


656 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


spired  by  those  of  an  Archaic  Gallo-Roman  god,  he  of  the  Hammer , 
which  is  believed  to  have  had  a  high  antiquity  in  that  country. 


The  Bronze  Age. 

The  scene  in  PI  clx  represents  a  primitive  foundry.  Under  a  great 
rock,  protected  from  the  wind  by  a  hedge  of  dead  brush  and  twigs,  a 
in  older  and  his  assistant  are  engaged  in  casting  implements  of  bronze. 
These  two  personages  represent  the  introduction  of  bronze  which  is  be¬ 
lieved  to  have  come  from  the  Occident.  The  assistant  is  of  the  type  of 
what  is  called  the  Nutons  in  Belgium  and  conies  from  the  Iron  of  that 
name,  being  one  of  the  caverns  of  the  Lesse,  near  the  town  of  Furfooz. 
This  cavern  contains  a  great  number  of  skeletons  of  men  belonging  to 
two  distinct  types.  The  Nutons  are  dwarfs,  and  this  is  intended  to  rep¬ 
resent  the  smaller  and  inferior  of  the  two  races.  The  master  molder  is 
of  the  type  of  the  most  ancient  Ligurians  who  occupied  the  territory  on 
the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  in  what  was  ancient  Liguria,  say  from 
Toulon  to  Genoa.  The  two  figures  are  dressed  in  a  loose  costume  of 
leather.  The  master  founder  pours  the  metal  from  a  crucible,  held  by 
means  of  a  large  pair  of  tongs  made  of  bronze,  which  is  a  reproduction 
of  such  an  implement  discovered  in  one  of  these  foundries  and  now  at 
the  Musee  of  St.  Germain.  The  metal  is  represented  as  boiling  in  the 
mold.  The  crucible  and  mold  are  copied  after  originals  in  St.  Germain. 
By  the  side  of  the  workmen  are  pieces  of  bronze,  broken  ready  to  be 
melted,  while  on  the  other  side  a  dozen  or  more  new  hatchets  are  laid 
out  apparently  ready  for  sale. 

The  amount  of  work  bestowed  upon  this,  as  well  as  the  other  group, 
in  order  to  make  them  faithful  representations  of  originals,  must  have 
been  great,  and  their  success  is  a  high  testimony  to  the  gentlemen  who 
conceived  and  executed  it. 

I  may  be  pardoned  for  a  few  words  explanatory  of  the  extent  of  this 
industry  and  the  age  or  civilization  to  which  it  belonged,  by  which  1 
tell  that  there  have  been  discovered  in  France  alone  fifty-seven  such 
foundries,  that  the  implements  of  bronze,  broken  and  made  ready  for 
melting,  number  among  the  thousands,  the  implements  found  among 
the  ten  thousands,  and  the  new  objects  deposited  in  caches ,  evidently 
never  used  and  ready  for  sale,  have  been  found  in  many  places.  The 
great  foundry  at  Bologna  had  14,000  pieces  of  broken  implements  for 
a  like  purpose,  and  weighing  several  thousand  pounds. 

The  Iron  Age. 


Two  men,  life-size,  were  at  work  with  the  forge,  beating  and  ham¬ 
mering,  working  the  iron.  One,  the  assistant,  helper  he  is  called  in 
the  trade,  blew  the  bellows,  the  other  was  the  master- workman.  The 
bellows  consisted  of  two  skin  bags  with  a  bit  of  iron  pipe  or  tube  tied 
in  the  mouth  of  each  laid  fiat  upon  the  ground,  the  two  nozzles  coming 
together.  The  alternate  motion  of  these  two  bags  like  the  working  of 
an  accordeon  kept  a  continuous  stream  of  air  flowing  from  the  (one  or 
the  other)  nozzles  which  ted  the  fire  on  the  ground  and  so  heated  the 


Report  of  National  Museum,  1890.— Wilson 


Plate  CLIX. 


Representation  of  a  Group  of  Prehistoric  Men. 
(Neolithic,  or  polished  stone  age.) 


Report  of  National  Museum,  1  890.— Wilson. 


Plate  CLX. 


Representation  of  a  Group  of  Prehistoric  Men. 

(Age  of  bronze.) 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  6  5  7 

iron.  The  anvil  was  about  2  inches  long  and  1  inch  wide,  driven  into 
a  block  of  wood  which  in  its  turn  was  driven  firmly  in  the  ground  the 
whole  affair  being  not  more  than  5  or  0  inches  above  the  level  of  the 
ground.  This  was  the  most  primitive  blacksmith  shop  I  had  ever  seen, 
and  it  interested  me  much,  but  my  interest  was  redoubled  when  on 
going  through  the  Esplanade  des  Invalides  in  the  colony  of  Senegal  I 
came  upon  the  same  machine,  same  workshop,  with  the  same  furniture 
and  tools  and  implements,  and  all  worked  in  the  same  way. 

Another  of  these  life-size  groups  constructed  and  displayed  in  the 
court  of  the  section  of  anthropology  was  from  our  own  continent.  It 
represented  the  Aztecs  in  old  Mexico  in  the  act  of  preparing  the  agave 
plant  and  making  it  into  fiber  to  be  woven  into  cloth  (Plate  olxi).  The 
agave  plant  is  the  American  aloe,  and  there  were  many  of  them  planted 
around  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Mexican  colony.  It  serves  many 
purposes  of  livelihood  for  the  poor  people,  probably  not  now  so  much  as 
in  times  of  antiquity.  It  made  their  fences  or  hedges,  the  trunks  of  its 
trees  made  their  houses,  its  leaves  served  for  ropes,  it  made  thread 
of  the  loug  fiber,  and  needles  of  the  sharp  points.  The  interior  of  leaves, 
the  juicy  part,  produces  alcoholic  liquor,  and  it  can  be  formed  into  the 
fiber  of  which  their  textile  fabrics  were  made.  The  two  life-size  figures, 
the  one  engaged  in  beating,  the  other  in  rolling  or  bruising  the  agave 
plant  fiber,  were  believed  to  be  correct  representations  of  the  Aztec 
people  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus. 


SOCIETY  OF  ANTHROPOLOGY  OF  PARIS. 

This  society  made  a  separate  display  under  the  protection  of  the 
minister  of  public  instruction. 

The  objects  displayed  under  the  direction  of  the  Society  of  Anthro¬ 
pology  occupied  a  large  space  in  the  grand  hall  in  the  second  story  of 
the  main  buildiug  in  the  department  of  the  minister  of  public  instruc¬ 
tion.  Its  classification  was  as  follows  : 

I.— Anatomic  anthropology. 

(1)  Society  of  Autopsy,  (2)  Cerebral  Morphology,  (3)  Histology  of  Cerebral  Con¬ 
volutions,  (4)  Crauiology,  (5)  Osteology,  (6)  Comparative  Splauchology,  (7)  Myol¬ 
ogy,  (8)  Antkropogeuy. 

II.— Prehistoric  anthropology. 

(I)  Geologic  Palethuology,  (2)  Miueralogic  Paletkuology,  (3)  Ages  ot  Stoue. 
Classification,  (4)  Processes  of  fabrication  of  the  various  forms  of  implements,  (5) 

Age  of  Metal,  (6)  Paleoanthropology— prehistoric  skulls  and  skeletons,  (7)  Trepana¬ 
tion,  (8)  Agriculture  of  Palethuology,  (9)  Methods  of  Excavation. 

III. — Ethnography. 

(1)  Algeria  and  Tunis,  (2)  Central  Asia,  (3)  Malacca,  (4)  Iudo-Chiua  and  Cam¬ 
bodia,  (5)  Cochin  China,  (6)  United  States  of  America,  (7)  Venezuela,  (8)  Miscella¬ 
neous. 

IV.— History  of  religions. 

(1)  Amulets,  (2)  Divinities. 

H.  Mis.  129,  pt.  2 - 42 


658 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


V. — Demography. 

(1)  Anthropometry,  (2)  Medical  Geography. 

VI. — Bibliography. 

(1)  Books,  (2)  Maps,  (3)  Charts,  etc. 

Tlie  first  section  of  the  first  division  was  autopsy,  and  with  it  cere¬ 
bral  morhology.  Here  were  displayed  the  brains  of  the  following 
gentlemen  who  had  belonged  to  the  society  of  autopsy,  and  as  such 
their  braius  had  been  dissected  in  the  laboratory.  The  peculiarities 
and  anatomic  description  were  attached  to  each  one: 

Jules  Assezat,  died  1876,  aged  45  years. 

Louis  Asseliue,  died  L878,  aged  49  years. 

Dr.  Coudereau,  died  1882,  aged  50  years. 

M.  Gambetta,  died  1882,  aged  43  years. 

Dr.  Adolph  Bertillon,  died  1883,  aged  02  years. 

Gillet-Vital,  died  at  63  years  of  age. 

Charts  were  shown  in  which  some  of  these  brains  were  superposed, 
notably  that  of  Dr.  Bertillon  and  Leon  Gambetta,  so  that  one  could 
compare  them. 

In  the  section  of  cerebral  morphology  was  displayed  a  chart  of  the 
brain  of  decapitated  assassins,  of  imbeciles,  and  anthropoid  apes. 
Another  was  the  encephalic  profile  of  four  specimens,  two  gorillas,  an 
adult  and  one  of  2  or  3  years ;  two  humans,  an  adult  and  an  infant  of 
2  years.  These  various  designs  were  made  by  the  stereograph,  and 
were  so  superposed  that  one  could  see  the  differences  between  them. 
Each  one  was  represented,  and  yet  one  could  see  plainly  the  difference 
between  them. 

In  crauiology  not  only  full  tables  and  charts  were  shown,  but  there 
were  practical  illustrations,  by  means  of  natural  specimens,  of  the  dif¬ 
ferences  in  the  cephalic  index  in  the  human  race,  and  also  the  differences 
in  the  different  races.  This  made  an  exceedingly  interesting  and  valu¬ 
able  display.  There  were  numerous  tables  and  charts,  full  of  informa¬ 
tion  as  to  the  cranial  form,  capacity,  deformity,  etc.,  of  the  different 
races  of  men,  and  of  as  many  different  kinds  in  the  same  race  as  was 
possible,  and  these  compared  again  with  the  anthropoid  apes.  Along 
with  them  were  displayed  the  anthropometric  instruments  by  which 
the  measurements  were  to  be  made. 

In  osteology  were  tables  and  charts  at  great  length,  in  great  detail, 
with  many  figures,  giving  full  and  complete  information  in  relation  to 
various  portions  of  the  human  skeleton :  sometimes  in  relation  to*  itself 
and  to  other  members  of  the  same  family;  at  other  times  compared 
with  those  of  the  higher  quadrupeds. 

For  example,  one  showed  the  relative  development  of  the  different 
portions  of  the  body  according  to  sex,  race,  age,  and  height:  the  rela¬ 
tion  between  the  long  bones  and  the  height  of  man,  the  method  of 
measuring  the  long  bones  and  thus  determining  the  relation  between 


Report  of  National  Museum,  1890.— Wilson 


Plate  CLXI 


Representation  of 


Aztecs  working  the  Agave  Plant. 


■ 


\ 


- 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  659 

them  aud  the  height: — showing  the  relation  between  man  and  the  an¬ 
thropoid  apes  in  relation  to  flattening  of  the  tibia,  the  development  of 
the  different  organs  and  functions  in  the  two  sexes.  The  remarkable 
thing  about  this  chart  was  that  it  demonstrated  that  the  weight  of  the 
brain  is  relatively  greater  in  women  than  in  men. 

Splanchnology  was  represented  by  the  internal  organs  of  man  aud 
gorilla  compared. 

Anthropogeuy  was  illustrated  by  six  charts  taken  from  the  atlas  of 
Monsieur  Mathias  Duval,  representing  his  theory  of  the  commencement 
of  life  in  man.  These  charts  represented  the  ovum  of  many  animals, 
including  man,  in  their  various  stages  of  impregnation,  so  that  the 
differences  could  be  easily  compared  and  studied.  lie  opposes  fiercely 
the  doctrine  of  heredity  laid  down  by  Weisman,  Turner,  and  their 
school. 

Prehistoric  anthropology  had  an  extensive  display  made  in  great  de¬ 
tail,  yet  with  the  number  of  specimens  reduced  so  as  to  employ  as  small 
a  space  as  possible.  The  classification  was  that  of  Monsieur  IP  Ault  du 
Mesuil,  which  was  a  variation  of  the  classification  of  de  Mortillet.  It 
began  with  the  quaternary  inferior  corresponding  to  the  Chelleeu  of 
M.  de  Mortillet,  the  contemporaneous  animals  being  the  Elephas  an - 
tiquus ,  Rhinoceros  merkii,  Hippopotamus  amphibius ,  aud  so  went  through 
the  various  stages  or  epochs  until  it  ended  in  the  reindeer — this  for  the 
paleolithic  period.  Samples  aud  specimens  were  shown  of  the  fauna, 
and  of  the  human  industry  in  each.  To  describe  it  satisfactorily  would 
be  to  write  an  entire  book  upon  the  science.  It  was  continued  through 
the  various  epochs  and  periods  of  the  age  of  stone  down  to  and  includ¬ 
ing  that  of  the  Neolithic  or  polished  stone.  The  miueralogy  of  prehis¬ 
toric  anthropology  also  received  attention,  and  specimens  of  the  vari¬ 
ous  kinds  of  stone  or  minerals  employed  were  displayed.  Processes  of 
the  fabrication  aud  the  working  of  miuerals  of  stone  were  also  shown. 

A  small  series  of  the  implements  characteristic  of  the  age  of  bronze 
were  also  exhibited. 

Prehistoric  craniology  received  due  attention  aud  was  represented 
by  the  casts  of  the  skulls  of  the  various  races  which  were  divided,  first, 
into  the  great  periods  of  paleolithic  and  neolithic,  and  these  again  di¬ 
vided  and  subdivided  according  to  the  best  information. 

Trepanation  was  not  forgotten.  Several  specimens  were  shown,  to¬ 
gether  with  the  means  by  which  it  might  have  been  practiced. 

Prehistoric  agriculture  had  a  tine  representation  in  its  display  of  cul¬ 
tivated  fruits,  cereals,  and  vegetables  with  the  textile  plant. 

Not  the  least  interesting  of  the  entire  prehistoric  display  in  the  expo¬ 
sition  was  that  showing  the  proper  methods  for  making  exca\  ations. 
This  was  even  more  important  because  of  its  result.  I>.\  means  of  these 
investigations  were  determined  the  superposition  of  one  civilization 
upon  another  in  the  various  caverns  which  had  been  occupied  loi  a  long 
time  as  humau  habitations.  Thus  was  determined  the  succession  ot 


660 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


occupations,  consequently  tbe  succession  ot  industries,  of  civilizations, 
and  so  of  races.  These  were  shown  in  detail  and  with  satisfaction.  I 
had  visited  many  of  the  places  here  described  and  was  acquainted  with 
several  localities,  and  it  was  to  me  an  intensely  interesting  exhibit. 
It  showed  the  successive  ages  of  prehistoric  civilization  in  a  most  sat¬ 
isfactory  and  convincing  manner. 

The  department  of  ethnography  was  fairly  well  represented,  but  I 
only  mention  two  ;  one  the  exposition  made  by  M.  Boban  from  North 
America,  those  which  had  been  given  to  him  by  the  Smithsonian  Insti¬ 
tution,  and  which  I  recognized  as  having  been  selected  by  myself.  The 
second  was  the  display  from  the  Koekenmmoddens  of  Cambodia,  and 
now  interesting  because  the  National  Museum  has  just  purchased  a  sim¬ 
ilar  series  from  that  country  which  were  there  displayed. 

The  history  of  religion  figures  largely  in  the  science  of  authropology. 
It  was  well  represented  in  the  exhibition  of  the  school  of  anthropology. 
It  will  serve  for  a  separate  paper. 

Anthropometry  was  illustrated  by  several  charts,  showing  the  various 
measurements,  especially  of  France,  but  also  of  other  and  adjoining 
countries. 

Medical  geography  illustrated  by  charts  the  various  condition  of 
France  from  different  points  of  view. 

Bibliography.— There  was  a  library  of  the  principal  works  published 
in  France  of  late  years  bearing  upon  the  subject  of  anthropology  and 
prehistoric  archeology. 


DENMARK. 

In  the  little  corner  room  from  the  pavilion,  just  beyond  it  on  the 
right,  entering  from  the  Buddha,  was  installed  the  anthropologic  dis¬ 
play  of  Denmark.  The  government  called  to  its  aid  three  scientists, 
who  are  at  the  head  of  important  departments  of  the  Royal  Museum  of 
Antiquities  in  the  Priuce’s  palace  at  Copenhagen.  Dr.  Sophus  Muller 
was  charged  with  that  portion  of  the  exposition  relating  to  prehistoric 
archaeology;  Mr.  Kristian  Bahnson  with  the  second  part,  relating  to 
the  ethnography  of  Greenland;  and  Mr.  Soren  Hansen  with  the  third, 
authropology  in  general.  All  these  sections  were  wonderfully  prepared 
and  united  admirably  in  forming  a  comprehensive  display  of  the  great 
science. 

Denmark  was  the  seat  of  the  discovery  of  the  existence  of  prehis¬ 
toric  man.  In  1807  the  first  public  museum  was  organized  for  the  re¬ 
ception  and  display  of  prehistoric  antiquities,  at  Copenhagen;  and 
here,  and  then,  was  announced  for  the  first  time  that  chronologic 
division  ot  the  prehistoric  times  into  the  ages  of  stone,  bronze,  and 
iron.  This  was  the  work  of  Mr.  Thomsen.  He  commenced  his  work 
in  that  country  in  1810  as  founder  of  the  great  prehistoric  museum 
of  northern  antiquities.  He  held  the  position  of  curator  and  did  the 
work  belonging  thereto  lor  50  years,  and  this  great  museum,  with  its 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  661 

extensive  and  wonderful  riches,  the  result  of  his  life's  work,  is  his 
monument. 

The  coadjutor  of  Thomsen  was  Worsaae,  who  during  his  life’s  work 
of  -o  years  did  more  probably  than  any  other  one  man,  a  scientist 
and  not  particularly  a  discoverer,  to  establish  the  science  of  prehistoric 
anthropology  on  a  firm  basis. 

Engelhardt,  Steeustrup,  and  Thomsen  were  the  early  ones.  To  them 
must  be  given  the  honor  of  being  the  discoverers  of  prehistoric 
man.  But  Worsaae  used  these  discoveries  with  the  rarest  genius  and 
talent.  It  was  not  simply  in  prehistoric  anthropology  his  talent  was 
shown,  for  he  was  an  all  round  man,  who  did  admirable  work  in  other 
branches  of  the  great  science,  and  not  content  with  that,  was  called  in 
his  later  years  to  be  a  councillor  in  the  cabinet  of  the  king,  and  there 
showed  that  rare  combination,  an  illustrious  scientist  and  a  profound 
and  sensible  statesman. 

The  names  of  others  can  not  be  given  in  this  paper.  It  will  be  enough 
if  we  can  but  mention  their  work.  A  systematic  exploration,  survey, 
and  map  have  been  commenced  of  the  prehistoric  monuments  of  Den¬ 
mark.  The  archaeologists  are  charged  with  this,  and  they,  accompa¬ 
nied  by  good  artists,  are  traveling  and  working  over  the  country  in 
order  to  make  this  map  with  all  accuracy  in  both  art  and  science.  One- 
third  of  the  entire  country  has  been  thus  surveyed  and  more  than  one- 
third  of  this  great  work  has  been  completed.  All  the  monuments  have 
been  discovered,  designated,  drawn,  and  the  most  of  them  are  in  the 
hands  of  the  engravers.  One  thousand  five  hundred  of  these  monu¬ 
ments  are  now  placed  under  the  protection  of  the  law,  either  as  prop¬ 
erty  of  the  government  or  under  prohibition  to  destroy  them  without 
giving  the  government  the  first  right  of  purchase.  Four  great  leaves 
of  this  arclneologic  map  of  Denmark  were  displayed  upon  the  walls, 
and  I  confess  the  feeling  of  envy  of  them  and  the  regret  that  my  own 
country  has  not  such  a  map.  I  was  only  consoled  by  the  hope  that 
the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  would  soon  have  completed  the  linguistic  map 
which  is  in  progress  under  its  direction. 

These  four  Danish  charts  of  the  archaeological  monuments  represented 
the  Islands  of  Moen,  a  part  of  the  Seeland,  the  east  of  Jutland,  and  a 
part  of  its  interior. 

A  library  containing  all  or  nearly  all  the  Danish  books  upon  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  prehistoric  anthropology  was  displayed  in  the  cases  in  this  de¬ 
partment,  and  the  organizers  thereof  were  very  free  in  their  commen¬ 
dations  of  the  private  collectors  and  individuals  who  had  so  willingly 
given  of  their  riches  to  secure  success  at  the  exposition. 

Dr.  Soph  us  Muller  thus  expresses  his  appreciation  of  the  patriotic 
feeling  of  the  Danish  people  in  making  contribution  to  the  need  ol  the 
governmental  display  at  the  French  Exposition: 

The  Danish  archaeological  display  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  patriotic  principles  of 
our  country,  as  it  is  composed  for  the  greatest  part  ol  contributions  Horn  private  col- 


662 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


lections.  They  have  felt  it  a  duty  that  our  country  should  be  diguifiedly  represented 
at  Paris/  where  is  reunited  this  year  the  International  Congress  of  Archjeology  and 
Anthropology,  and  they  were  pleased  to  offer  to  the  committee  their  best  and  most 
precious  objects.  The  number  of  objects  offered  were  even  so  great  that  it  would 
itself  form  a  small  museum.  But  the  space  which  had  been  reserved  for  us  by  the 
committee  of  the  Exposition  was  too  limited  and  it  would  have  been  an  impossibility 
that  all  could  be  accepted.  For  this  cause  the  objects  exposed  were  much  too  many ; 
but  on  the  other  side,  what  we  lost  in  quantity  we  made  up  in  qnality.  It  shows 
that  our  country  possesses  the  best  and  the  most  interesting  objects  belonging  to  pre¬ 
historic  archaeology. 

Tlie  age  of  stone  in  Denmark,  indeed  in  Scandinavia,  is  divided  by 
the  scientists  of  those  countries  into  two  parts.  The  earliest  was  that 
of  the  Kjoekkemnoeddings,  where  the  implements  were  rough  and  rude, 
small,  and  comparatively  insignificant.  Bat  it  was  the  age  of  polished 
stone.  The  second  epoch  of  tlie  age  of  stone  comprised  those  magnifi¬ 
cent  and  beautiful  examples  of  hint  chipping  found  in  that  country. 
The  paleolithic  age  is  not  represented  in  Scandinavia.  No  objects  be¬ 
longing  to  that  period  have  been  found  there,  and  it  is  believed  by  all 
that  it  was  uninhabited  during  that  period.  But  in  the  implements  of 
the  neolithic  period  that  country  was  especially  rich.  There  were  the 
polished  hatchets,  the  large  tranchets  of  hint,  again  the  small  ones, 
the  scrapers,  the  perforators,  and  the  hatchets  of  deer  horn.  These 
have  all  been  found  in,  and  are  supposed  to  belong  to,  the  Kjoekken- 
raoeddings,  and  represent  the  first  stage  of  polished  stone  in  that 
country.  I  can  scarcely  attempt  to  describe  the  beauty  and  gran¬ 
deur  of  the  display  of  the  second  period  of  the  age  of  stone.  One 
must  have  seen  the  magnificent  specimens  of  that  country  in  order  to 
appreciate  or  even  understand  what  is  meant  by  their  grand  display. 
I  can  only  name  at  hazard,  without  attempting  to  describe  the  dis¬ 
play.  There  were  nucleii  and  the  hammer  stones,  the  long  blades  and 
flakes  of  flint,  the  exceedingly  large  and  long  stone  hatchets  shown 
in  all  the  stages  of  their  manufacture,  from  the  first  flake  struck 
from  the  rock  to  the  finely  polished  and  finished  hatchet  of  extraordi¬ 
nary  length.  The  finely  chipped  poignards,  with  the  ridges  in  their 
handles  worked  herring-bone  fashion,  blades  long,  thin,  sharp ;  spear 
and  lance  heads  of  the  same  style,  the  flint  flaked  almost  like  shavings, 
from  the  edge  to  the  center,  and  done  with  a  regularity  which  would 
seem  impossible  but  for  the  specimens  now  before  our  eyes.  Arrow¬ 
heads  in  profusion  and  of  every  possible  form,  shape,  and  style  of 
manufacture.  Each  one  of  these  particular  forms,  where  there  was 
anything  peculiar  about  it,  was  represented  by  three  examples,  one  of 
which  was  chipped  ready  for  polishing;  another,  polished,  which  was 
new  and  had  never  served,  and  a  third,  a  specimen  which  was  more  or 
less  used.  There  were  other  series  arranged  in  the  same  manner; 
scrapers,  knives,  chisels,  club -heads,  all  the  sort  of  implements  and 
weapons  belonging  to  that  same  age;  scrapers,  and  pottery  of  various 
forms  aud  ornamentation. 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  CG3 


The  polished-stone  age  in  Denmark  is  most  instructive  and  interest¬ 
ing.  The  number  of  implements  of  this  period  have  filled  the  public 
and  private  collections  and  are  a  source  of  pride  to  all.  The  varietv 
and  elegance  of  form,  the  perfection  and  surprising  management  of  the 
fashioning,  provoke  the  greatest  admiration.'  The  principal  reason  for 
the  excellence  in  Denmark  lies  in  the  superior  quality  of  the  flint  of  that 
country,  and  the  ease  with  which  it  could  be  worked.  If  we  consider 
the  geographic  formation  of  the  country  and  the  little  islands  which 
are  surrounded  by  the  numerous  fiords  that  have  favored  such  things, 
we  may  understand  the  circumstances  which  gave  birth  to  and  favored 
the  development  of  a  civilization  which  was  comparatively  well  ad¬ 
vanced.  This  age  is  supposed  to  have  endured  for  about  2,500  years 
and  to  have  come  to  an  end  from  1,500  to  2,000  years  B.  C.,  when  it  was 
supplanted  by  the  age  of  bronze..  This  age  was  correspondingly  well 
represented.  It  is  but  small  wonder  that  Denmark  should  have  fur¬ 
nished  those  jirofound  students  who  have  made  such  wonderful  prog¬ 
ress  in  the  science  of  prehistoric  anthropology.  Its  richness  in  antiq¬ 
uities  is  surprising  and  can  not  be  understood  without  being  seen,  and 
the  more  it  is  seen  and  studied  the  more  surprising  and  bewildering  it 
becomes  in  number,  extent,  and  beauty.  Not  to  mention  more  than  the 
word  amber,  would  be  to  give  a  theme  which,  to  be  exhaustive,  would 
require  an  entire  book.  The  museum  at  Copenhagen  possesses  now 
over  200  discoveries  of  amber  wrought  by  the  prehistoric  man  as  his 
ornaments  for  personal  decoration.  Four  fifths  of  these  came  from  the 
Island  of  Jutland,  but  the  rest  were  fairly  well  distributed  around  the 
various  coasts.  To  follow  out  the  commercial  relations  between  the 


Scandinavian  and  other  prehistoric  countries  by  means  of  its  trade  in 
amber  would  require  more  space  than  could  be  devoted  in  this  paper. 
Wherever  in  Europe  prehistoric  man  of  this  epoch  has  been  found,  am¬ 
ber  has  been  found  with  him,  and  it  is  believed  that  nearly  all  of  it  came 
from  the  North  Sea  and  was  exchanged  for  the  objects,  implements, 
and  weapons  of  a  foreign  country.  It  is  believed  that  the  commerce  in 
amber  can  be  traced  back  to  a  period  commencing  1,000  years  before 
Christ.  Numerous  cases  of  amber  were  displayed  in  this  Exposition. 

Of  the  bronze  age  there  were  many  specimens.  The  bars  or  ingots  of 
bronze,  rough  and  rude,  the  molds  for  casting  hatchets  and  saws,  hatch¬ 
ets  of  all  kinds,  knives,  saws,  sickles,  razors,  pinchers,  arrowheads, 
swords,  poignards,  trumpets,  spearheads,  rings,  fibula,  etc.,  were  there 
shown  in  all  perfection ;  in  all  their  beauty  and  wealth  of  form  and  com¬ 
pass.  One  case  was  devoted  to  vases,  of  gold,  of  bronze,  of  w ood  ;  some 
of  them  are  ornamented  with  tin  inlaid,  having  the  appearance  of  the 
ware  of  the  Japanese.  The  metal  work  was  some  of  it  hammered,  some 
repousse,  some  cast.  The  ornamentation  was  of  the  style  of  the  bronze 
age,  geometric  design,  made  by  points  and  lines. 

Two  exceedingly  interesting  specimens  in  the  Danish  display,  that 
impressed  themselves  with  greater  ease  upon  the  understanding  and 


664 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


memory  of  those  who  saw  them  and  gave  them,  at  less  expenditure  of 
of  thought,  a  better  understanding  of  the  prehistoric  man  of  thatcoum 
try  during  the  bronze  age,  were  the  two  figures,  reproductions  of  a 
warrior  and  a  woman,  dressed  in  the  costume  of  the  period,  being  a 
reproduction  of  like  objects  possessed  by  the  museum  at  Copenhagen. 
The  warrior  wore  a  bonnet  upon  his  head;  it  was  round,  and  made  of 
double  cloth  ;  no  seams  were  shown.  His  body  was  covered  with  a 
square  piece  of  cloth  coming  down  to  the  knees  and  bound  around  by 
different  straps  and  thongs,  tied  at  the  back.  He  wore  a  mantle  upon 
his  shoulders  which  fastened  at  the  neck  with  a  fibula  of  bronze.  His 
feet  were  covered  with  sandals  bound  across  the  top  with  cord ;  he  had 
a  leather  belt,  which  was  fastened  with  a  button  of  bronze  ornamented 
with  a  piece  of  incrusted  amber.  On  his  arm  was  a  gold  ring,  and  he 
held  in  his  hand  a  sword  of  bronze.  • 

The  woman  wore  upon  her  head  a  net,  which  was  in  a  sufficient  state 
of  preservation  when  found  to  enable  them  to  imitate  the  fabrication. 
It  was  made  by  simple  interlacing  of  threads.  Her  jacket  was  a  single 
piece  of  stuff  which  was  originally  too  short  and  had  been  added  to — 
pieced  as  it  were.  Her  petticoat  was  made  without  being  cut  and  was 
sewed  only  to  bring  the  two  ends  together.  Her  cloak,  which  fastened 
with  a  hook,  was  ornamented  in  different  colors,  different  designs  being 
used  in  an  ingenious  manner  of  twisting  the  thread.  All  the  jewelry 
which  she  had — the  collar,  the  clasp  to  her  cloak,  the  bronze  bracelet, 
and  the  gold  ring  were  reproduced  in  the  forms  which  have  been  found 
to  be  the  most  frequent.  She  carried  by  her  side  a  small  poniard  in  a 
wooden  scabbard. 

In  the  reproduction  of  these  objects  the  mus6e  had  employed  the  veri¬ 
table  bronze;  one  part  tin  and  nine  parts  copper.  These  dresses  were 
made  by  Madame  Klein,  director  of  the  Academy  of  Artaud  Industries 
for  Women,  who  has  studied  them  minutely  in  their  original  production, 
and  she  and  her  scholars  have  produced  them  with  minute  exactness. 
The  color  was  the  only  thing  about  which  there  was  doubt,  for,  be  it 
understood,  that  all  these  objects  were  found  in,  and  came  from,  tombs, 
and  from  having  lain  either  in  wooden  coffins,  or  by  contact  with  the 
earth,  have  become  a  dark  brown  or  possibly  a  black.  I  have  one  of 
these  pieces  from  the  same  place  out  of  one  of  these  tombs.  The  near¬ 
est  description  I  can  give  of  its  color  would  be  a  butternut. 

The  age  of  iron  was  represented,  a  full  series  of  the  ethnography  of 
Greenland,  together  with  all  the  books  and  specimens  presented  or 
gathered  by  that  celebrated  and  well-known  ardent  scientist  and  an¬ 
thropologist,  Mr.  Soren  Hansen.  One  of  the  most  important  works 
done  by  anthropologists  in  later  years  in  relation  to  America  has 
been  that  accomplished  by  this  gentleman,  and  he  had  at  this  display 
an  example  ot  his  work.  Many  years  ago  Lund,  who  was  himself  an 
aid,  being  in  the  plains  and  caverns  cf  Samidouro,  Brazil,  made  some 
anthropologic  discoveries  in  regard  to  the  prehistoric  man,  and  being 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  665 

unable  to  make  studies  ot  them  himself,  or,  may  be,  having’  com¬ 
pleted  them,  sent  them  to  Copenhagen.  They  were  lost  in  transit  and 
did  not  arrive  tor  some  time  after.  Upon  their  arrival  they  were  un¬ 
recognized,  and  it  was  not  until  the  last  3  or  4  years  that  these  valu¬ 
able  relics  were  discovered  by  Mr.  Hansen,  brought  to  light,  investi¬ 
gated,  compared,  measured,  and  the  result  made  known  to  the  world. 
He  thinks  from  these  investigations  that  there  is  evidence  at  least  of 
the  possibility  of  man  having  existed  in  South  America  in  the  Tertiary 
period,  and  in  this,  I  believe  M.  de  Quatrefages,  the  most  conservative 
of  all  European  anthropologists,  coincides,  except  as  to  the  geology  or 
paleontology — whether  the  Tertiary  epoch  of  America  is  not  one  period 
behind  that  of  Europe.  This  question  has,  I  believe,  received  little 
attention  from  the  American  paleontologists,  except  Professor  Cope, 
and  he  doubts  the  correctness  of  the  conclusion.  If  he  be  correct,  it 
puts  the  appearance  of  man  in  South  America  at  the  greatest  antiquity 
probably  of  any  other  well-defined  discovery  of  the  kind. 

The  age  of  bronze  came  to  an  end  in  Scandinavia  about  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  the  Christian  era,  but  the  age  of  iron  or  its  first  use 
began  some  centuries  before  that.  These  ages  necessarily  lap  one  over 
the  other.  The  prehistoric  iron  age  in  Scandinavia  was  divided  into 
three  grand  epochs  before  the  commencement  of  the  historic  period 
which  was  about  the  year  1000.  These  were  the  epochs  of  the  bar¬ 
barian. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  pavillion  was  exhibited  a  great  runic  stone, 
which,  as  shown  by  its  inscriptions  in  ancient  runes,  recounts  the 
exploits  of  Harald  Ylaatau,  who  lived  from  935  to  980  A.  D.,  and  to  his 
illustrious  parent,  Gorm,  the  first  historic  king  of  Denmark  and  to  his 
queen,  Thyra. 

Neither  time  nor  space  permits  a  description  of  the  other  two  depart¬ 
ments  of  the  Danish  display — the  ethnography  of  Greenland  and  Mr. 
Hansen’s  display  of  anthropology. 

Mr.  W  aide  mar  Schmidt  had  the  immediate  charge  of  this  exposition, 
and  he,  as  many  others,  attended  on  each  specified  occasion  to  open 
cases,  display  objects,  explain  them,  and  make  the  necessary  speeches 
and  lectures  for  the  education  and  edification  of  the  public.  These 
gentlemen  have  recognized  the  great  advantage  to  be  derived  from 
anthropometry  in  their  anthropologic  studies  both  of  prehistoric  and 
modern  Greenland.  Therefore  they  have  organized  their  governmental 
commissions  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  these  studies.  More  than 
three  thousand  Greenlanders  have  been  measured,  weighed,  and  tested 
with  the  exactness  peculiar  to  the  science  of  anthropometry.  The  walls 
were  covered  with  charts  of  anthropometric  measurements,  showing  in 
great  detail  the  difference  of  height,  average,  and  extremes,  the  ( olor 
of  the  hair  and  eyes,  and  the  effect  in  these  respects  of  the  crossing  ol 
the  races  of  the  Danes  and  Greenlanders  and  Eskimos. 


666 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890- 


SPAIN. 

Spanish  prehistoric  archaeology  was  represented  in  four  cases,  being 
selections  from  the  collection  of  MM.  Henry  and  Louis  Siret,  No.  11 
rue  Joseph,  Antwerp,  Belgium.  These  gentlemen  (brothers)  made 
extensive  exploration  in  the  province  of  Carthagena,  in  the  southeast 
of  Spain,  which  they  published  in  a  magnificent  album.  1  had  the 
pleasure  to  visit  their  house  and  examine  their  collection  at  Antwerp. 
Their  collection  represented  the  neolithic  period,  the  bronze  age,  and 
the  period  of  transition  from  one  to  the  other.  There  were  arms,  imple¬ 
ments,  and  ornaments  in  stone  and  bone,  immense  vases  of  pottery, 
some  of  which  were  used  for  burial  by  inhumation.  The  usual  bronze 
implements  and  objects  were  shown.  There  were  sepultures  of  vari¬ 
ous  kinds,  and  fragments  of  clothing  made  of  linen  cloth  were  found 
with  the  bodies.  Agriculture  and  industries  had  large  representation. 

SWITZERLAND. 

Switzerland  was  represented  by  the  collection  of  Mr.  Valentine 
Schmidt.  There  were  the  usual  objects  belonging  to  the  neolithic 
period  and  found  in  connection  with  the  lake  dwellings  of  that  epoch. 
While  the  objects  were  choice  and  well  selected,  and  consequently  of 
beauty  and  importance,  there  was  nothing  remarkable  about  them  more 
than  one  can  find  in  good  museums. 


BELGIUM. 

Belgium  had  a  representation  of  fifty  cases  devoted  to  prehistoric 
anthropology  and  arclueology,  though  the  occupation  represented  may 
have  come  down  somewhat  into  the  commencement  of  historic  times. 
That  portion  of  their  display  which  they  called  ethnology  was  devoted 
almost  exclusively  to  the  crania  and  skeletons  of  prehistoric  men,  but 
which  they  carried  over  to  ethnology  because  of  the  exhibition  of  the 
specimens  of  Neanderthal,  Engis,  Spy,  Cro-Magnon,  Furfooz,  Sclaiz- 
neaux,  Antwerp,  Selzsete,  with  some  individuals  from  Frankish  ceme¬ 
teries. 

The  paleolithic  period  was  well  represented,  and  this  in  some  of  its 
earliest  manifestations,  for  the  occupation  of  Belgium  by  prehistoric 
man  seems  to  have  begun  at  as  early  a  period  as  that  of  any  other 
country  of  Europe.  A  principal  depot  of  this  early  occupation  is  at 
Mesvin,  near  Mons  (Hainault).  There  were  many  pieces  of  flint  dis¬ 
played  from  this  depot,  which  is  believed  by  some  of  the  Belgium 
prehistoric  archaeologists  to  belong  to  the  very  earliest  quaternary 
geologic  period,  and  to  have  been  earlier  than  the  depots  at  either 
Chelles  or  St.  Acheul. 

In  objects  belonging  to  the  cavern  period— mammoth  and  reindeer — 
southern  Belgium  is  especially  rich.  The  rivers  Meuse,  Lesse,  and 
Sambre  have  many  caverns  in  the  ravines  along  their  banks,  and  they 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  66 7 

were  largely  occupied  by  man  in  this  early  antiquity.  The  representa¬ 
tion  of  the  geography  of  this  country  and  of  the  caverns  was  exceed- 
ingly  elaborate,  and  the  display  of  objects  therefrom  very  rich. 

M.  Dupont  continued  in  1872  the  excavations  of  caverns  in  that 
country  which  were  begun  by  Schmerling  35  or  40  years  before,  and 
MM.  de  Puydt,  Fraipont  and  Lohest  took  it  up  in  1884  where  M.  Dupont 
had  left  it.  These  gentlemen  made  many  investigations  and  excava¬ 
tions  in  the  caverns  of  the  Lesse  and  Meuse,  but  the  principal  one  was 
at  the  Grotte  de  Spy,  a  few  miles  northwest  from  the  city  of  Dinant, 
where  were  found  the  celebrated  skulls  and  skeletons  of  prehistoric 
man.  Not  only  did  these  discoveries  verify  those  of  Schmerling  and 
Dupont,  and  establish  with  greater  certainty  the  existence  of  the  paleo¬ 
lithic  period  and  the  human  occupation  during  that  period  in  the  num¬ 
berless  caverns  of  that  locality;  but  it  served  to  emphasize  our  knowl¬ 
edge  concerning  the  race  of  men  belonging  thereto.  The  discoveries 
at  Neanderthal  and  Canstadt  were  only  of  human  skulls,  but  that  of 
Spy  included  much  of  the  skeleton,  and  has  done  more  than  probably 
any  other  to  give  us  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  anatomy  and  osteol- 
ogy,  and  of  the  size  and  form  of  this,  the  man  of  greatest  antiquity 
whose  remains  have  vet  been  found. 

The  Belgian  display  was  worthy  of  much  commendation.  Not  only 
was  it  quite  complete,  but  its  arrangement  was  excellent.  The  student, 
as  he  passed  along,  could  comprehend  and  understand  the  science  which 
it  illustrated  and  the  sequence  of  the  specimens  displayed.  Maps  were 
displayed  upon  the  walls  which  showed  the  various  prehistoric  stations 
and  the  different  periods  and  epochs  to  which  they  belonged.  With 
lithographs,  drawings,  and  photographs  the  various  caverns  of  southern 
Belgium  were  well  illustrated.  La  Naulette,  Pont-a-Lesse,  Montaigle, 
Furfooz,  Ohaleux,  Hastiere  were  shown  in  their  geographic  position,  by  a 
general  view,  three  sections,  longitudinal,  and  transverse.  The  cavern 
of  Spy  was  shown  in  much  the  same  way,  but,  being  more  modern  and 
considered  more  important, it  was  given  in  greater  detail.  A  section  was 
given  both  ways,  showing  the  various  strata  in  the  cavern,  while  in  the 
case  below  were  laid  out  a  series  of  objects  found  in  each  stratum.  This 
was  continued  in  a  similar  manner  in  many  other  of  the  caverns.  By 
these  means  one  could  study  the  prehistoric  archaeology  of  Belgium  in 
great  detail  and  with  much  certainty. 

The  neolithic  period  was  occupied  principally  with  the  great  quarry  at 
Spiennes.  I  had  visited  it  and  studied  it  under  the  guidance  of  M.  Cor¬ 
net,  now  unhappily  deceased,  and  this  display  was  particularly  gratify¬ 
ing  to  me.  Many  excavations  have  been  made  in  this  quarry,  and  it  and 
the  workshop  have  been  so  studied  as  to  be  understood  in  all  its  rela¬ 
tions  to  the  prehistoric  man.  These  excavations  had  been  carefully  de¬ 
signed  at  the  time,  and  the  designs,  together  with  the  objects  found,  were 
here  laid  out  before  the  beholder. 

These  labors  so  conscientiously  done  in  respect  ol  the  prehistoric  sta- 


668 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 

tions  mentioned,  were  extended  with  greater  or  less  success  over  almost 
the  entire  country,  and  what  surprised  me  was  that  in  northern  Belgium, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Ghent,  and  between  it  and  Antwerp,  have  been 
lately  found  enough  of  the  prehistoric  objects  to  establish  the  human 
occupation  of  that  country  in  prehistoric  times. 

HISTORY  OF  WRITING. 

The  study  of  inscriptions  has  demonstrated  the  relationship  between 
the  various  forms  of  the  alphabet,  and  has  enabled  the  student  to  follow 
their  transformation  from  their  origin  to  modern  times.  An  attempt 
was  made  at  the  French  Exposition  by  Monsieur  Philip  Berger  to  col¬ 
lect  the  principal  forms  of  writing  in  antiquity,  and  to  give  a  resume  of 
their  progress  and  relationship. 


CLASSIFICATION. 


I.  — Picto  graphic. 


On  dolmens  and  stone  monuments  of 
western  Europe. 

Scandinavia. 

North  American  Indian. 


Eskimo. 

Oceanica. 

Messages : 

Sticks,  feathers,  knots,  etc. 


Cuneiform : 

Sumero- Akkadian. 
Babylonian. 
Assyrian. 
Persian. 
Scythian. 


Semitic: 

Phmnician. 

Punic. 

Neopuuic. 
Ancient  Hebrew. 
Aramean  : 

Nabatean. 

Pal  my  reau. 
Hebrew  Carre. 
Syrian. 

Arabic. 

llimyarite. 

Ethiopian. 


II.  — H  ierogl  yphi  c. 

Egyptian. 

Hittites. 

Chinese. 

Mayas. 

Mexican. 

Easter  Island. 

III.  — Alphabetic. 

European  : 

Etruscan. 

Greek  Archaic. 

Latin  Archaic. 

Scandinavian. 

Runic  stones,  first  and  second 
period. 

Ogham  stones,  Ireland. 

Gaul. 

Saxon 

British. 

Hindoo : 

Sanscrit. 

Bactriau. 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  669 


PIOTOGRAPHIO  WRITING. 


No  discovery  or  invention  had  so  great  an  effect  upon  tbe  develop- 
mentof  human  civilization  as  that  of  writing.  The  inventionof  writing 
was  the  debut  of  history.  Writing  made  history  possible.  Although 
we  have  no  knowledge  ol  the  actual  beginning  of  writing,  we  may 
suppose  it  to  have  been  by  picture  writing.  This  certainly  was  the 
earliest  of  which  we  know.  It  was  called  pictography,  and  gave  but 
little  more  than  the  rudiments  of  the  idea  intended  to  be  recorded. 
The  pictographic  inscriptions  found  on  the  most  ancient  monuments  of 
the  stone  age  have  a  marked  resemblance  to  those  we  find  to-day 


among  savages  who  live  in  a  corresponding  state  of  civilization.  It 
employed  usually  a  mixture  of  images  borrowed  from  animal  life,  and 
of  figures  which  were  after  a  fashion  geometric. 

Pictographic  writing  seems  to  have  spread  over  almost  the  entire  sur¬ 
face  of  the  globe.  Pictographs  are  to  be  found  in  almost  every  coun¬ 
try.  There  was  no  single  system  of  pictography.  Each  nation  or  tribe, 
even  each  family  or  person,  may  have  established  a  code  for  itself  or  may 
have  followed  no  code.  They  may  have  been  governed  in  making  pic¬ 
tographs  more  by  fantasy  or  caprice  than  anything  else.  Pictographs 
have  been  found  of  the  highest  antiquity  in  Asia  and  in  Europe,  while 
they  are  still  employed  in  Africa,  Oceanica,  and  among  the  North 
American  Indians.  The  works  of  Col.  Garrick  Mallery  in  the  Bureau 
of  Ethnology  are  standards  for  the  latter. 

Fig.  1  of  PI.  clxh  represents  the  engravingof  the  covering  stone  of 
a  small  dolmen  at  Baker  Hill  in  Kosshire,  Scotland,  from  Mr.  Simpson. 
This  represents  the  cup  marking  of  nearly  every  kind,  some  of  which 
have  been  found  in  almost  every  part  of  the  globe. 

Fig.  2  of  PI.  clxii,  is  an  engraving  on  one  of  the  granite  supports  of  the 
dolmen  of  Petit-Mont  at  Arzon,  Morbihan.  Two  human  feet  are  repre¬ 
sented  and  many  undulated  lines.  Some  of  those  which  are  continuous 
have  been  taken  to  be  serpents,  but  there  is  no  more  reason  for  this 
than  is  shown  by  the  lines  themselves.  There  are  two  open  U’s,  which 
is  a  common  sign  in  that  country.  Another,  equally  common,  is  the 
crook  just  below  the  U’s.  They  are  sometimes  with  the  crook  turned 
to  the  right,  sometimes  to  the  left,  and  are  occasionally  arranged  in 
groups,  one  following  the  other.  They  resemble  a  figure  7,  sometimes 
placed  right  and  sometimes  reversed. 

Fig.  3  of  PI.  clxii  is  an  engraved  support  of  the  dolmen  ot  Gavr’Inis, 
Morbihan.  This  dolmen  was  under  a  tumulus.  It  consisted  of  a  rec¬ 
tangular  chamber  with  a  long  covered  entry-way  extending  nearly  to 
the  periphery  of  the  tumulus.  It  is  of  granite  slabs,  which  were  nearly 
all  engraved  similar  to  the  one  shown,  though  not  intended  to  be  copies 

or  exact  imitations. 

These  are  all  one  twenty-fifth  natural  size. 


670 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  181)0. 


PI.  clxiii  represents  a  slab  of  granite  one-fiftli  natural  size  from  the 
dolmen  of  GavrMuis,  Morbihan,  on  which  is  engraved  in  deep  lines  the 
outline  of  a  polished  stone  hatchet  with  its  handle.  This  has  been  so 
protected  from  weathering  by  being  under  the  tumulus  as  that  it  is  not 
degraded  and  has  been  cited  as  one  of  the  evidences  of  that  manner  of 
handling  the  polished  stone  hatchet. 

The  display  of  pictographic  writing  at  the  French  Exposition  was  as 
follows : 

1.  Marks  on  the  dolmen  of  Men-er-Hroek,  Morbihan,  France.  (Cast.) 

2.  Rock  carving  at  Skebbervall,  Bohuslan,  Sweden.  (Cast.) 

3.  Modern — An  Indian  petition  claiming  the  possession  of  certain  lakes.  The  original 

is  in  the  Museum  of  Santiago,  Chili.  A  cast  given  by  Dr.  Meyer,  of  Dresden. 
4  and  5.  Inscriptions  from  Easter  Island,  engraved  on  wood. 

6  and  6a.  Mayas  writing  from  Yucatan— inscription  from  the  steps  of  the  temple  of 
Palenque.  From  the  Musee  Trocadero.  (Cast.) 

7.  Mexican  writing — a  mixture  of  pictographs  and  hieroglyphs.  Dedication  of  the 
grand  temple  by  Ahuitzotl. 

This  bas-relief  represented  the  king  laying  the  corner-stone.  Above  and 
below  appeared  the  date,  of  which  a  translation  has  been  attempted, 
viz:  “The  day  7  Roseau,  13  of  the  month  Itzeallt  Xochilluit  of  the 
year  Eight  Roseaux  (Feb.  l‘Jth,  1487).”  Cast.  The  original  at  the  Na¬ 
tional  Museum,  Mexico. 

HIEROGLYPHIC  WRITING. 

When  the  pictographic  system  had  so  progressed  that  each  picture 
represented  an  idea,  and  when  made  after  a  given  design,  it  represented 
the  same  idea  continuously,  the  art  of  writing  was  born.  This  was 
ideography,  and  was  thus  named  because  it  rendered  the  ideas  of  the 
writer,  by  signs,  the  meaning  of  which  was  fixed  or  had  been  agreed 
upon.  The  ideas  to  be  expressed  were  naturally  of  great  number,  and 
the  ideographs  became  complicated.  It  was  called  hieroglyphic  be. 
cause  it  was  practiced  principally  by  the  priests — the  hierarchy.  The 
term  “  hieroglyphic”  was  applied  first  to  the  ancient  Egyptian  writing, 
but  afterwards  to  all  analogous  systems. 

The  ideographic  or  hieroglyphic  system  extended  to  many  nations 
or  peoples,  but  the  codes  of  hieroglyphs  were  different.  The  principal 
hieroglyphic  writings  wrere  the  Chinese,  Egyptian,  Assyrian,  or  Cunei¬ 
form,  and  Hittites  in  the  eastern  hemisphere ;  and  the  Aztecs  and 
Mayas  in  the  western. 

The  resources  of  language  and  the  needs  of  writers  caused  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  other  signs  and  characters,  which  completed  the  ideographic 
signs  aud  added  precision  to  their  sense.  Thus  it  came  that  some  of 
the  ancient  writing  employed  all  three  of  the  systems;  the  ancient 
Egyptian  writing  was  at  the  same  time  hieroglyphic  aud  alphabetic. 

The  first  growth  by  which  written  language  came  into  being  is  uu- 
known.  It  is  surmised  that  because  of  the  needs  of  people  for  the 
recording  of  lacts,  or  for  the  transmission  of  messages,  some  system 


Report  of  National  Museum,  1 890.— Wilson. 


Plate  CLXII. 


r/g  3, 


Fig  1  Engraving  on  stone  of  dolmen.  (Ross-shire,  Scotland.  From  Archaic  sculpturing. 

St  I 


Report  of  National  Museum,  1890. — Wilson. 


Plate  CLXIII. 


Pictograph.  Polished  Stone  Hatchet. 

(Dolmen  of  Gavr’Inis,  Morbihan,  France.  One-third  natural  size.) 


•  ••  l 


. 

. 


■ 


' 

.  ..  *  i.liMMMM 

.  * 


. 


. 


. 

‘ 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  671 


should  be  invented,  and  thus,  little  by  little,  the  art  of  writing  grew  to 
its  present  perfection.  In  the  hieroglyphic  system  each  sign  repre¬ 
sented  an  idea  which,  being  in  the  mind  of  the  maker,  would  be  recog¬ 
nized  and  understood  by  the  reader. 

For  the  specimens  of  Chinese  hieroglyphic  writing  the  visitor  was 
requested  to  see  the  adjoining  section  in  ethnography,  where  Chinese 
industries,  arts,  etc.,  especially  that  of  printing,  were  displayed  at 
length. 

Cuneiform  writing. — Cuneiform  writing  was,  like  that  of  the  Chinese, 
composed  in  its  origin  of  figures  that  have  become,  little  by  little, 
unrecognizable.  Their  primitive  form  is  found  in  the  most  ancient 
Chaldean  inscriptions.  The  principal  varieties  of  Cuneiform  writings 
are  the  Chaldean,  which  lasted  until  the  fall  of  Babylon.  The  Assyrian 
and  Persian  seem  to  have  been  simplified  from  an  Arian  language. 

8  and  8b  Bricks  from  Babylon.  One  bearing  the  seal  of  Nebuchadnezzar  stamped  in 
the  soft  brick  before  it  was  burnt.  Translation — “Nebachadnezzar,  Kim*  of 
Babylon,  King  of  Nations,  Grand  King,  Servant  of  the  Great  God,  Restorer 
of  the  Towersand  the  Pyramids,  I.”  One  showing  the  bitumen  still  attached 
which  had  served  as  cement. 

9.  Assyrian  writing — Obelisk  of  Nimrod,  built  by  Salmanazar  II,  about  860  B.  C. 

This  celebrated  monument  represents  the  kings  bringing  tribute  and  mak¬ 
ing  submission  to  Salmanazar.  Men  are  carrying  bars  of  precious  metal. 
There  are  the  elephant,  horse,  camel,  and  gigantic  apes.  Among  the  tribu¬ 
taries  shown  in  the  second  register  is  the  King  of  Israel  Jehu  prostrate  before 
the  feet  of  the  King  of  Assyria.  Underneath  is  the  legend  :  Jehoua  bin  Ornri 
(Jehu  Son  of  Omri).  Cast.  The  original  is  in  the  British  Museum. 


Rittite  Hieroglyphs . — These  are  anterior  to  the  year  1000  B.  C. 


10.  Lion  fouud  by  his  excellency  Hamdg-bey  at  Maracli,  Asia  Minor.  Cast  given 
by  the  Musee  of  Ethnography  of  Trocadero.  The  original  is  at  the  Impe¬ 
rial  Museum,  Constantinople. 

It  is  scarcely  20  years  since  the  discovery  of  the  first  inscription  of  these 
characters.  Since  then  the  number  has  increased,  but  without  being  yet 
deciphered.  It  appears  to  have  been  used  before  the  invention  ot  the  alpha¬ 
bet  by  the  people  on  the  borders  of  Syria.  On  this  lion  one  can  see  the  gross 
hieroglyphic  characters  covering  its  body. 


Egyptian  writing. — Egyptian  writing  is  the  most  perfect  of  the  hiero¬ 
glyphic  system.  It  was  the  forerunner  of  the  alphabet.  It  is  presented 
in  three  forms — the  writing  hieroglyphic,  hieratic,  and  demotic.  The 
hieroglyphs  have  preserved  with  a  remarkable  fidelity  the  primitive 
form  of  the  ancient  ideographs,  which,  on  the  contrary,  disappear 
almost  entirely  in  the  hieratic  and  demotic  writing.  The  latter  are  the 
forms  most  altered  from  the  hieroglyphs.  The  most  celebrated  speci¬ 
men  of  this  system  was  the 

11.  Rosetta  stone,  with  its  corresponding  paragraphs  in  hieroglyphic,  demotic,  and 
Greek,  each  being  a  translation  of  the  other. 

This  was  found  in  1799,  during  the  French  expedition  to  Egypt,  by  an 
officer  of  artillery  named  Boussard.  The  name  of  the  King— Ptolemy— was 


672 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890 


recognized  in  each,  or  at  least  in  two  of  the  writings,  and  thus  caused  the 
discovery  of  their  similarity  and  lead  to  the  deciphering  of  the  hieroglyphs 
by  Chainpollion.  Cast  given  by  the  British  Museum,  which  possesses  the 
original. 

ALPHABETIC  WRITING. 


About  the  year  1500  B.  C.,  that  is  about  or  before  the  time  of  Moses, 
the  alphabet  made  its  appearance  among  the  Phoenician  and  afterwards 
among  the  Hebrew  peoples  on  the  Syrian  coast.  It  would  seem  to  have 
been  only  a  simplification  of  Egyptian  writing,  adapted  to  the  needs  of 
commerce.  The  Phoenicians  borrowed  from  the  great  mass  of  Egyptian 
hieroglyphics  about  twenty  signs  corresponding  to  the  principal  articu¬ 
latory  sounds  of  human  speech.  This  was  a  radical  transformation  of 
the  art  of  writing.  We  can  believe  that  it  was  of  much  greater  import 
than  supposed  by  its  discoverers.  It  changed  for  all  the  world  and  for 
all  time  the  power  of  man  over  his  civilization  by  giving  him  the  ability 
to  record,  communicate  and  perpetuate  his  knowledge.  Monsieur  Ke¬ 
nan  declares  the  discovery  of  alphabetic  writing  to  be  the  highest 
testimony  of  the  genius  of  man.  Capacity  to  utter  articulate  sounds 
is  limited,  so  a  very  few  characters  were  sufficient  to  record  them,  and 
it  was  not  difficult,  the  discovery  once  made,  to  render  all  of  man’s  ideas 
and  to  give  every  shade  of  his  thought.  These  signs  formed  the  al¬ 
phabet  of  writing. 

The  Phoenician  alphabet  was  modest  in  its  commencement,  but  it  fin¬ 
ished  by  triumphing  over  all  other  systems,  and  has  imposed  itself  upon 
all  civilized  peoples.  It  gave  birth  to  all  the  Semitic  alphabets,  from 
the  Hebrew  to  the  Syrian  and  Arabic,  yet  they  employed  only  the  con¬ 
sonants.  It  gave  birth  to  the  Greek  alphabet  in  which  was  created  the 
vowels,  and  was  thereupon  communicated  to  the  Etruscans,  the  Latins, 
the  Slav  and  Germanic  peoples,  and  so  all  over  Europe. 

The  Greeks,  after  some  hesitation  and  trial,  finally  determined  for 
all  these  languages  and  peoples  the  system  of  alphabetic  writing  from 
left  to  right.  The  Phenician  alphabet  spread  to  the  east  and  south,  as 
well  as  to  the  north  and  west.  It  gave  birth  to  the  Aramean,  to  the 
ancient  Hindoo,  and  so  to  the  modern  alphabets  of  India.  Indeed, 
with  the  exception  of  China  and  Japan,  and  their  dependencies,  to  all 
those  of  Asia.  Whatever  of  ideographic  or  hieroglyphic  writing  these 
peoples  may  have  employed,  they,  with  the  exception  noted,  only  used 
an  alphabet  descended  from  the  twenty-two  letters  of  the  Plienicians. 

The  alphabetic  writing  descending  from  the  Phoenician  alphabet  is 
divided  into  three  branches : 

(1)  The  Semitic  alphabet,  which  is  written  from  right  to  left  and  has 
no  vowel.  The  principal  of  these  are  the  Phoenician,  from  which  is  de¬ 
rived  the  Punic  and  Neopun ic,  the  ancient  Hebrew,  the  Aramean,  which 
gave  birth  to  the  Nabatean,  the  Palmyrenian,  the  Hebrew  Carre,  to 
the  Syriac  and  the  Arabian,  and  finally  the  alphabet  Himyarite  and 
Ethiopian. 


ANT1IK0P0L0GY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  613 

(-)  The  European  alphabets  which  are  all  derived  from  the  ancient 
Phoenician  by  the  intermediation  of  the  Greek. 

(d)  The  alphabets  of  India  and  of  Pehlevi.  which  descended  at  a 
comparatively  recent  date  from  the  Aramean. 


1.  Semitic  alphabet. 

Hebrew  alphabet. 

12.  Pillar  Dai  bon  ;  with  an  inscription  of  Mesa,  king  of  Moali,  about  875  B.  C. 

This  is  placed  at  the  head  because  of  its  importance,  for  it  is  one  of  the  most 
ancient  alphabetic  inscriptions  known  (but  see  Mr.  W.  Flinder  Petrie’s  dis¬ 
coveries  of  18o9  at  Kahun,  in  which  he  tinds  many  possibly  alphabetic  signs 
of  the  Xllth  dynasty,  2600  B.  C.).  One  can  recognize  in  the  foregoing  in¬ 
scription  the  relationship  of  different  Hebrew  letters  with  those  of  the  Phoeni¬ 
cian  and  Archaic-Greek  alphabets.  Cast  given  by  the  Louvre  Museum,  which 
possesses  the  original. 

Phoenician  alphabet. 

13.  Bronze  cup  dedicated  to  Baal  Lebanon  (the  god  of  Lebanon),  by  King  Hiram,  800 

to  1000  B.  C.  The  original  is  at  the  Bibliothequo  Nationale  (Cabinet  des  M<5- 
dailles). 

14.  An  inscription  engraved  on  one  of  the  colossuses  of  Ipsamboul  by  a  mercenary  of 

Psammetic,  650  to  600  B.  C.  Cast. 

15.  Cyprus.  Inscription  bilingual,  Phoenician  and  Cyprian  of  Idalie  of  the  year  4 

of  the  King  Melokjaton,  375  B.  C.  Cast  from  the  original  in  the  British 
M  useum. 

16.  Sardinia.  An  inscription  trilingual  on  bronze,  engraved  on  the  base  of  an  altar 

weighing  100  pounds,  given  to  Esculapius  by  Clion. 

17.  Carthage.  Punic  writing  anterior  to 200  years  B.  C.  Au  ex-voto  toTanit  in  form 

of  a  tower. 

18.  1.  Idem.  Fragment  of  the  tariff  of  sacrifices  of  Carthage. 

2.  Idem.  A  dedication  of  a  sacred  abbatoir. 

3.  Malta.  Dedication  of  a  temple  of  Gaulos. 

All  casts. 

19.  Malta.  A  bilingual  inscription,  Phoenician  and  Greek,  which  furnished  to  Abbe 

Barthelemy,  about  1760,  the  key  to  the  Phoenician  alphabet.  200  to  150  B.  C* 
Cast.  Gift  of  the  Louvre  Museum. 

20.  A  funeral  vase  from  the  cemetery  of  Hatrumete  (Sousse),  Tunis;  with  inscription 

painted  in  characters  of  running  hand.  156  to  50  B.  C. 

Translation  :  “  This  urn  contains  the  bones  of  Iatanmelek,  son  of  Boniilcar, 
son  of  Abdmelbari,  the  *  *  *  .”  Gift  of  Colonel  Vincent. 

21.  Another  funeral  vase  from  the  same  cemetery,  with  painted  inscription.  Gift  of 

Colonel  Vincent. 

22.  Neopuuic  writing  of  the  Roman  epoch.  Cabinet  of  Corpus  Inscriptionum  Semiti- 

carum . 

Aramean  alphabet. 

In  its  origin  the  Aramean  alphabet  is  confounded  with  the  Phoenician 
alphabet,  which  gave  birth  to  it.  But  soon  the  tail  to  the  letters  were 
made  longer,  then  were  bent  to  the  left  that  they  might  be  joined  to  the 
following  letters.  At  the  same  time  the  head  of  the  letters  became 

H.  Mis.  129,  pt.  2 - 43 


674 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


modified,  and  the  writing  took  more  the  character  of  running  hand,  of 
which  we  find  the  complete  development  in  the  Arabic  writing. 

23.  Ancient  Aramean  writing  in  relief.  Inscription  of  Teima,  Central  Arabia,  dis¬ 

covered  by  Mr.  Cli.  Huber,  assassinated  at  Djedda  in  1884.  A  pillar  com¬ 
memorative  of  the  installation  of  the  cult  of  the  god  Telem  of  Hagam  at 
Teima.  On  the  left  side  of  the  pillar  is  the  image  of  the  god,  and  below, 
the  priest,  which  makes  him  an  offering  upon  au  altar  with  the  legend 
“Selemsazab,  Priest.”  Cast,  gift  of  the  Louvre  Museum. 

24.  Au  aucieut  Aramean  inscription  found  by  Ch.  Huber  at  Teima. 

25.  Aramean  inscription  of  the  north  of  Arabia  by  Ch.  Huber. 

26.  Aramean  alphabet  from  Egypt.  A  funeral  pillar  from  Vatican.  Persian  epoch 

500  to  300  B.  C.  Cast  given  by  M.  Fr.  Leuormant  to  the  cabinet  of  Corpus 
Iuscriptionnm  Semiticarum. 

27.  Nabatean  writing,  from  100  years  B.  C,  to  300  A.  D.  In  use  by  the  populations 

of  the  north  of  Arabia  before  the  time  of  Mahomet.  Original,  found  at 
Teina,  Arabia.  By  Ch.  Huber. 

28.  Idem. 

29.  Palmyrian  inscription,  bilingual,  from  the  Musde  du  Capitol,  236  years  A.  D. 

This  is  a  consecration  of  a  silver  statue  to  the  gods  Aglibol  and  Malakbel. 
Cast.  Original  the  property  of  Marquis  de  Vogud. 

30.  Palmyrian  inscription.  A  votive  altar  dedicated  to  the  god  Malakbel.  Musee  of 

the  Capitol.  Cast.  Original  the  property  of  Marquis  de  Vogud. 

31.  Hebrew  Carre,  about  150  B.  C.  Jewish  inscription  from  Jaffa.  Fifth  or  sixth 

century  A.  D.  Cast. 

32.  Arabian  writing.  Specimens  of  manuscript  Coufique  and  Neskis,  from  the 

mosque  Kairouan,  Tunis. 

2.  European  alphabet. 

33.  Archaic-Greek,  derived  from  the  ancient  Phoenician.  Treaty  of  the  Arcadians  with 

the  Eleens  d’Uera  600  to  500  B.  C.  Facsimile.  The  original  is  engraved  on 
a  bronze  plate. 

34.  Archaic-Greek.  The  law  of  Gortyne,  500  B.  C.  Au  inscription  boustrophedon, 

that  is  to  say,  going  alternately  from  right  to  left  and  from  left  to  right. 
Cast,  gift  of  the  Louvre  Museum. 

35.  Etruscan  inscription.  Cast,  gift  of  Louvre  Museum. 

36.  Archaic-Latiu,  derived  from  the  Phoenician  by  the  intermediation  of  the  Greek. 

Bronze placque  discovered  in  1866-’67  near  Gibraltar.  Decree  of  Paul  Emelie 
according  libeity  to  the  slaves  of  the  Iiastenses  who  occupied  the  tower  of 
Lasceta,  then  the  property  of  their  town  and  territory.  190  B.  C.  ■  Cast,  gift 
of  the  Louvre  Museum. 

37.  Trilingual  inscription;  Greek,  Latin,  and  Phoenician.  Engraved  on  the  base  of 

a  bronze  altar  of  the  weight  of  100  pounds.  This  was  an  offering  to  the  great 
Doctor  Esculapius  (Esmoun  Merre),  by  Clion.  “  Because  he  heard  his  voice 
and  was  cured.”  150  to  130  B.  C.  Heliogravure  from  Sardinia.  A  cast  of  the 
original  was  shown  in  the  Phoenician  section,  No.  16. 

38.  An  Equestrian  incription  of  the  time  of  the  Republic.  Cast  from  the  Louvre 

Museum. 

The  runic  characters  of  Scandinavia  are  probably  the  latest  manifes¬ 
tation  of  the  alphabetic  writing  in  antiquity.  It  may  be  called  the  last 
fossil  alphabetic  writing.  They  had  two  grand  epochs  or  divisions  both 
of  which,  however,  belonged  to  the  iron  age.  The  characters  were  es¬ 
sentially  different,  so  much  so  that  a  knowledge  of  one  does  not  enable 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  6  7  5 


one  to  read  the  other.  The  more  ancient  is  the  most  difficult.  The  ear¬ 
liest  one  dates  from  before  the  Christian  era  to  about  400  A.  D. ;  the 
second  begins  with  the  fifth  century  and  coutiuues  to  the  beginning  of 
history,  and  corresponds  to  the  Viking  period. 

3.  Indian  alphabets. 

39.  Sanscrit.  Indian  alphabet  d’Acoka.  Semitic  origin  which  gave  birth  to  the 

Devauagari,  and  to  all  the  modern  alphabets  of  India.  Third  century  B. 
C.  Facsimile  of  inscription  of  Bhabra,  after  M.  Senart,  Asiatic  Journal, 
April-Jnne,  1887. 

40.  Alphabet  Indo-Bactrien  from  the  northwest  of  India,  derived  from  the  Araineau. 

Facsimile  of  an  inscription  dated  the  second  year  of  Kanichka.  First  cen¬ 
tury  A.  D. 

Himyarite  alphabet. —  Writing  of  the  ancient  people  of  South  Arabia  from  third 

century  B.  C.  to  third  century  A.  D. 

41.  A  votive  altar.  Incense  burner. 

42.  Idem. 

43.  Dedication  of  a  statue  of  gold  to  the  God  Talab-Ryam  by  a  family  of  Raidauites 

in  recognition  of  the  aid  he  had  given  to  them  in  a  war  between  the  tribes 
of  Saba  and  Raitan  against  their  enemies  the  Himyarites. 

44.  An  inscription  with  bas-relief.  The  heads  of  the  three  personages  are  shown. 

Their  names  are  given  in  the  inscription.  Translation:  Tomb  of  Yalimad 
Kachfankau,  Harat,  and  Khalkarib. 

45.  Votive  inscription ;  pedestal.  Cabinet  Corpus  inscription  Semiticarum. 

46.  Berber  writing.  A  funerary  bilingual  inscription  ;  Latin  and  Berber.  Corp. 

Inscr.  Sem. 

47  and  48.  Neopunic  inscription  with  bas-reliefs.  Corp.  Inscr.  Sem. 

49.  Bas-relief,  fragment  from  Teima,  Arabia.  By  Ch.  Huber.  Original. 

In  order  to  complete  the  chart  of  the  aucient  writing  Philip  Berger 
made  an  attempt  at  the  reconstitution  of  a  Phoenician  pillar  with  its 
ornaments  and  accessories. 

50.  Reconstitution  of  the  pillar  of  Byblos,  Phoenicia. 

This  pillar  bears  an  inscription  commemorative  of  the  construction  of  a 
portion  of  the  temple  of  Byblos  by  the  Yehaumelek.  Above  the  inscription 
is  a  bas-relief  representing  the  scene  of  the  dedication.  The  Goddess  “Lady 
of  Byblos  (Baalat  Gebal)”  is  seated  on  a  throne.  She  is  represented  after  the 
character  or  appearance  of  the  Egyptian  goddess  Hathor.  Her  head-dress 
is  of  two  wings  of  the  Guinea  fowl  which  surmount  two  horns  supporting  a 
disk.  In  her  left  hand  is  a  scepter,  while  her  right  is  raised  in  sign  of  bene¬ 
diction.  Opposite  the  king  is  Yehaumelek  in  Persian  costume  standing,  and 
in  the  posture  of  prayer,  offers  to  the  goddess  the  “cup  of  deliverance.” 
The  inscription  explains  the  scene.  It  enumerates  the  constructions  made  by 
the  king  to  the  goddess,  because  every  time  that  he  had  invoked  her  aid,  she 
had  heard  his  prayers  aud  had  answered  them  for  his  good.  The  inscription 
terminates  with  a  prayer  of  the  king  in  which  he  invokes  the  benediction  of 
the  goddess  on  him  and  his  reign.  “For  he  is  a  just  king.” 

The  restorations  w  ere,  first,  the  disk  of  gold  surrounded  by  serpents  that 
was  inserted  at  the  top  of  the  bas-relief;  second,  the  two  horns  supporting  a 
disk  which  surmounts  the  monument;  third,  the  traces  of  color  on  the  bas- 
relief;  the  vase  of  libations  with  its  twm  elegant  handles. 


676 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


This  pillar  is  placed  on  two  lions  of  stone,  which  were  found  at  the  same 
time  and  in  the  same  place,  and  which  evidently  had  formed  part  of  the 
monument.  These  lions  were  loaned  for  this  purpose  by  their  owner,  M.  de 
Clercq,  who  kindly  gave  permission  to  make  the  casts  of  the  pillar,  and  as¬ 
sisted  in  the  reconstruction  of  the  monument. 


It  might  be  of  interest  and  value  to  continue  this  history  of  writing 
by  quotations  or  condensations  from  the  latest  literature  upon  the 
subject,  among  which  might  be  mentioned  the  history  of  the  alpha¬ 
bet  by  Canon  Isaac  Taylor,  Rosny’s  Les  Ecritures  Figuratives  des  Dif- 
ferents  Peoples  Anciens  et  Modernes,  and  Essai  sur  la  Propagation  de 
^Alphabet  Phenicien  dans  l’Ancien  Monde,  by  M.  Francois  Lenormant, 
but  the  purpose  of  this  paper  being  rather  a  report  upon  anthropology 
at  the  French  Exposition,  would  not  admit  thereof.  I  can  not,  how¬ 


ever,  conclude  this  sub¬ 
ject  without  calling  to  the 
attention  of  the  reader 
the  late  discoveries  made 
by  Mr.  W.  Flinders  Petrie 
at  Kahun  in  the  Fayum, 
Egypt,  of  many  hundred 
specimens  of  marks  or 
characters  upon  the  pot¬ 
tery,  and  occasionally 
upon  the  wooden  toys, 
ornaments,  or  imple¬ 
ments  found  by  him  and 
assigned  to  the  period  of 
the  twelfth  dynasty,  2600 
B.  C.,  and  identified  by 
the  pyramids  built  by 


Fig.  99.— Possible  alphabetic  characters.  (From  Kahun,  twelfth 
dynasty,  Egypt.  Discovered  by  Mr.  Flinders  Petrie.  Probably 
the  earliest  alphabetic  characters  known— 2600  B.  C.) 


Usertesen  II.  I  have  mentioned  those  marks  in  my  description  of  these 
Egyptian  objects  purchased  by  me  from  Mr.  Petrie  at  London,  and  now 
displayed  in  the  Rational  Museum.  Tracings  of  some  of  them  are 
shown  in  Fig.  99. 


AMULETS. 


The  polished  stone  hatchet  is  recognized  almost  all  over  Europe  as 
an  amulet  protective  against  lightning.  It  is  called  in  many  languages 
“the  stone  of  lightning,”  or  “  thunder  stone.”  This  belief  pervades 
western  Europe,  and  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  peasants  to  deny  any 
knowledge  of  the  polished  stone  hatchet,  because  they  do  not  know  it 
by  that  name.  Many  of  these  hatchets  were  drilled  for  suspension. 
In  this  way  they  were  intended  to  be  carried  sometimes  about  the 
neck  or  on  the  person,  or  occasionally  are  hung  at  the  bed  head  or 
near  it,  with  other  votive  offerings.  When  not  drilled,  they  are  put  in 
any  ledge  in  the  stones  of  the  fireplace,  occasionally  laid  upon  the 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  677 

mautel  over  the  fireplace,  or  may  be  inserted  in  a  crack  at  the  outside 
ot  the  door.  The  general  belief  is  that  these  stones  come  from  the 
heavens  in  the  flash  ot  lightning,  and  one  person  declared  that  his 
polished  stone  hatchet  had  descended  therefrom  in  a  streak  of  light¬ 
ning  in  his  presence,  that  lie  had  seen  it  strike  in  the  neighboring  field, 
and  upon  his  going  to  the  place  he  found  tliq  hole  and  extracted  there¬ 
from  this  hatchet,  still  hot ,  and  that  he  had  kept  it  ever  since.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  he  positively  refused  to  part  with  it  at  any  price. 

The  flint  arrowheads  come  within  the  same  category,  and  many  times 
a  flint  chip  is  used  to  which  is  attributed  the  same  virtue.  The  arrow¬ 
heads  were  not  drilled.  Sometimes  they  were  in  their  original  condi¬ 
tion,  but  many  times  they  were  mounted  in  silver  and  the  mounting 
arranged  with  a  ring  for  suspension.  Drawings  of  these  are  given  in 
Mr.  John  Evans’s  “ Ancient  Stone  Implements  of  Great  Britain,”  in  de 
Mortillet,  Oartailhac,  etc. 

In  Brittany  a  common  amulet,  but  one  of  great  power  and  regarded 
with  great  veneration,  is  the  one  called  the  pierre  du  croix ,  the  staurolite 
by  the  United  States  mineralogists,  but  staurotite  by  the  French;  a 
mineral  which  crystallizes  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  not  always  at  right 
angles,  but  frequently  so.  This  is  regarded  as  a  token  from  God  in 
favor  of  the  religion  of  the  country,  and  is  given  to  these  his  chosen 
people  as  a  recognition  of  their  piety  and  religious  fervor.  There  are 
several  quarries  of  these  iu  Brittany,  one  near  Auray.  There  they  are 
gathered  and  mounted  by  the  jewelers  and  sold  as  amulets.  I  saw  in 
the  jeweler’s  window  in  one  of  the  streets  of  that  town  a  slab  of  min¬ 
eral  containing  these  staurotites  embedded  therein  in  their  natural 
state.  It  was  about  12  inches  wide  and  lfi  inches  long  and  had  in  it, 
if  I  remember  rightly,  forty  or  fifty  of  these  specimens.  It  was  re¬ 
garded  with  great  veneration,  would  not  be  sold  at  any  price,  but, 
nevertheless,  was  exposed  in  the  window  and  served  as  a  sign  by 
which  the  owner  did  a  good  business  at  selling  the  single  ones  mounted. 

There  were  others  of  the  same  nature,  which  are  crystallized  in  the 
star  shape,  and  they  are  regarded  in  the  same  way.  We  have  in  the 
National  Museum  full  series  of  both  kinds,  some  from  the  United  States 
and  others  from  Europe.  They  are  considered  as  a  talisman  against 
shipwreck,  drowning,  and  hydrophobia,  and  are  a  cure  for  sore  eyes. 
When  not  mounted  as  a  pin  or  a  ring,  they  are  placed  in  a  small  sachet 
or  bag  and  so  worn  occasionally  around  the  neck  or  in  the  pocket. 
They  are  of  various  sizes  aud  lengths,  from  an  inch  down  to  less  than  a 

quarter. 

In  Italy  the  coral  is  an  amulet  to  guard  its  owner  against  the  evil 
eye. 

These  are  the  principal  objects.  The  others  dwindle  in  importance, 
Put  are,  of  course,  considerable  in  number  and  much  relied  on  tor  their 

efficacy  and  virtue. 


678 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


Beads,  pearls,  etc.,  are  used  as  amulets.  Common  ground  glass  in 
facets  is  a  favorite.  These  are  shaped  as  beads  and  are  arranged  on  a 
string  and  usually  worn  as  a  collar.  A  particular  one  at  the  exposition 
came  from  Locmariaquer,  Morbihan.  It  was  endowed  with  great  medi¬ 
cal  properties.  It  was  a  cure  for  diseases  of  the  throat,  diphtheria,  that 
kind  of  scrofula  called  the  Mai  da  roi ,  because  it  is  believed  that  this  dis¬ 
ease  can  be  cured  by  the  roi  (king)  if  he  simply  touches  the  patient. 
There  are  beads  of  other  material.  This  form  seems  to  have  a  high 
reputation  in  this  neighborhood.  They  should  be  of  different  materials 
in  the  same  string  or  collar.  Those  of  amber  are  precious  and  are  con¬ 
sidered  of  great  value  and  virtue.  I  have  myself  three  or  four  coming 
from  that  country,  a  half  an  inch  long  and  five-eighths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  which  have  been  worn  until  half  the  substance  has  gone,  when 
the  holes  have  been  filled  with  lead,  bushed  as  one  might  say,  and  a 
new  hole  drilled.  The  standard  number  of  beads  on  a  string  for  the 
greatest  efficacy  is  seven  or  nine,  and  to  make  them  complete  one 
should  be  of  rock  crystal.  The  belief  of  the  peasants  in  the  virtue  of 
these  is  widespread.  They  are  passed  from  hand  to  hand  where  need¬ 
ful  throughout  the  country.  Every  midwife  is  provided  with  a  string 
of  these  beads,  and  all  careful  mothers  will  provide  or  hire  a  string  of 
them  to  be  worn  by  their  children  as  they  approach  the  age  of  puberty. 

Limouite  concretions  ( Pierre  de  la  grossesse )  in  the  form  cf  a  hollow 
ball  with  detached  pieces  inside  are  of  great  virtue  during  gestation. 
The  patella  and  similar  shells  are  deemed  of  great  benefit  to  nursing 
women  and  aiding  in  the  secretion  of  the  infantile  food. 

The  common  people  of  France,  Belgium,  Ireland,  and  other  countries 
in  Europe  have  a  great  veneration  for  their  priests  and  a  high  regard 
for  their  religion.  Therefore  medals  and  votive  offerings  are  employed 
extensively.  These  medals  have  been  blessed  by  the  mother-church  and 
so  are  worn  not  as  any  particular  talisman,  but  as  an  omen  of  good  luck, 
a  preventive  against  the  powers  of  evil,  and  a  constant  reminder  of  one’s 
vows  to  the  church.  They  may  be  made  in  the  form  of  a  coin  with  a 
hole  or  ring,  or  they  may  be  oval  that  they  can  bear  an  image  of  the 
Virgin.  They  are  made  of  different  metals,  the  most  common  being 
lead  or  zinc,  then  of  silver  and  occasionally  of  gold. 

The  v  otive  offerings  given  in  thankfulness  and  remembrance  of  mercy 
and  benefits  received  are  many.  Those,  of  course,  could  not  be  gath¬ 
ered  and  represented  at  the  exposition,  because  they  are  deposited  in 
the  churches  and  other  sacred  places.  Occasionally  they  may  be  found 
in  the  common  churches,  but  the  more  sacred  the  church  and  the  more 
renowned  for  its  sanctity,  the  greater  the  number  of  these  votive  offer¬ 
ings.  I  have  seen  them  in  the  church  and  at  the  spring  of  Madonna  de 
la  Laghetto,  near  La  Turbie,  on  the  mountain  just  above  Monaco,  and  in 
the  extreme  southeast  of  France.  They  are  to  be  found  almost  without 
number  at  the  grotto  and  church  of  Lourdes  in  the  extreme  southwest 
of  France,  and  I  have  seen  them  by  the  hundred  in  the  church  of  Sainte 


ANTHROPOLOGY  AT  THE  PARIS  EXPOSITION  IN  1889.  679 

Anne  cPAuray  in  the  northwest  of  France.  These  votive  offerings  may 
be  of  almost  any  kind,  from  a  picture  or  an  illuminated  writing  down  to 
the  crutches  and  canes  which  have  been  thrown  away  because  their 
need  had  ceased,  the  invalid  having  been  cured  by  the  miraculous 
interposition  of  the  particular  saint.  The  commonest  votive  offering  is 
a  representation  of  the  particular  part  which  had  been  effected  and  on 
which  the  cure  was  made.  The  foot,  the  arm,  the  head,  or  the  leg  may  be 
reproduced  in  wax,  in  miniature,  and  suspended  from  the  wall  or  framed 
in  and  around  the  statue  of  the  particular  saint  to  which  the  cure  is 
ascribed.  I  have  never  counted  the  number  thus  exposed  and  do  no 
more  than  to  guess  at  it  from  their  appearance.  I  should  say  of  those 
thus  exhibited  at  the  Sainte  Anne  d’Auray,  one  thousand  would  be  a 
moderate  estimate.  The  collection  of  M.  Bonnemere  contained  a  num¬ 
ber  of  these  votive  offerings  from  Belgium. 

A  favorite  talisman  in  Brittany  is  a  small  key,  cast  or  struck,  and 
made  usually  of  cheap  metal,  as  is  the  medals.  These  keys  and  medals 
or  charms  represent  the  virtues  of  the  different  saints,  and  are  sup¬ 
posed  to  carry  with  them  efficacy  from  his  blessing.  They  are  found 
distributed  throughout  Brittany,  and  are  for  sale  by  the  peddlers  or 
merchants  at  all  the  fairs  and  pardons  in  the  province.  The  people 
ascribe  to  each  one  key  or  medal  its  particular  virtue.  St.  Eli  and  St. 
Anthony  are  guardian  saints  of  all  animals ;  St.  Comely  is  the  guard¬ 
ian  saint  of  horned  cattle.  On  the  road  from  Quimperle  to  Pont  Aven 
is  a  spring  of  St.  Eli,  and  every  peasant  who  passes  gives  his  cattle  or 
animals  to  drink  of  this  spring.  The  church  of  St.  Comely  is  at  Car- 
nac,  and  in  the  harvest  moon  of  August  the  cattle  are  driven  by  their 
owners  to  the  churchyard  and  spring.  They  are  decked  with  garlands 
and  flowers  and  beautiful  greens,  and  it  is  a  grand  holiday,  or  rather 
holinight.  Cattle  of  the  neighborhood,  whenever  sick  or  ailing,  are 
driven  to  the  well  or  this  spring.  If  not  able  to  go,  the  water  will  be 
carried  to  them. 

Of  the  medals  and  coins,  of  which  I  spoke  a  moment  ago  as  being 
sold  throughout  the  country  at  the  pardons ,  a  particular  one  to  be  men¬ 
tioned  is  that  of  St.  Mathuriu  du  Moncontonr.  It  is  in  the  form  ot  a 
cone,  round  at  the  summit,  the  top  of  which  is  surmounted  by  a  head 
with  nimbus  and  terminates  in  a  ring  for  suspension.  It  is  in  honor 
of  the  saint,  who  is  supposed  to  have  great  power  and  authority.  His 
chief  virtue,  however,  would  be  regarded  as  that  of  self-denial,  for  it  is 
generally  believed  that  he  Aurait  pu  etre  le  bon  Dieu  s'il  cut  voulu 
niais  il  a  craint  que  cela  peut-etre  lui  causdt  trop  de  tracas— might  have 
been  God  if  he  had  so  willed,  but  he  feared  it  would  cause  too  much  of  a 

fracas. 

There  is  told,  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Socidte  d’Antliropologie  at  Paris, 
a  curious  story  of  the  cure  of  St.  Brieuc,  who  distributed  to  the  children 
of  the  parish  some  of  the  round  ivory  chips  or  disks  used  as  counters 
for  games  of  cards.  These  came  in  time  to  be  regarded  as  amulets 


680 


REPORT  OF  NATIONAL  MUSEUM,  1890. 


which  the  priest  had  blessed  and,  being  carried  by  the  children,  were 
considered  as  a  preventive  of  intestinal  worms  in  children.  They  are 
called  Olifants ,  and  are  sold  at  a  comparatively  high  price.  The  wife 
of  the  letter-carrier  at  Coruay  hired  hers  out  at  vingt  cinq  centimes — 5 
cents  a  seance  or  day.  Among  other  things,  they  will  cure  broken  ribs. 

There  were  three  private  collections  of  amulets,  charms,  and  talis¬ 
mans  displayed  at  the  exposition,  and  one  of  divinities.  The  former  are 
the  property  of,  and  were  collected  by,  M.  Joseph  Belucci  of  Perugia, 
Adrien  de  Mortillet  of  Paris,  Lionel  Bonnemere  of  Belgium  ;  and  the 
latter  by  Clement  Bubbens. 

They  numbered  from  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  pieces  in  a  col¬ 
lection  down  to  one  hundred.  They  were  arranged  in  proper  order  and 
with  the  classification  and  catalogue  of  their  respective  powers  and 
localities. 


